Written and directed by Jonathan Zaurin and co-written by Kat Ellinger, Michael Mackenzie, Todd Rodgers and Sarah Zaurin. Abigail is a socially isolated, angry young woman who is struggling to come to terms with the brutal murder of her father some years prior. When she learns that one of her father’s murderers is about to be released, Abi sets herself on a path of revenge. Matt is a young man whose life gets turned upside down by the return of his brother Ewan. Starring: Suzanne Fulton, Michael Coombes, Pete Bird, Ayvianna Snow and Nick Cornwall.
As Derelict opens, Jonathan Zaurin (who also serves as editor and cinematographer) quickly sets a strong concise atmosphere. It tells you everything you need to know about what’s coming with this film, it’s gritty and bleak. It creates a good genre blend, using crime and thriller to its advantage while holding onto a dramatic edge. Using that inherent darkness to drive its gloomy and harsh atmosphere even further.
Zaurin’s editing and cinematography then enhance that again. There’s an excellent mix of shots and focus on detail to drive home the grim reality of their situation. The use of a non-linear timeline was also an interesting choice to give a more rounded perspective of Matt’s (Michael Coombes) character. It’s a good choice to bring the film into a space to explore humanity, as well as the ricocheting impact of each decision. Especially those that are influenced by loss, grief and fear.
Suzanne Fulton and Michael Coombes both give strong performances at the heart of Derelict. It may have quite cold veins, but it never feels heartless because it has these two to bring relatable and sympathetic qualities to the film. Fulton captures a brokenness and desperation, while Coombes portrays feeling trapped and pressured, avoiding conflict, not having the strength to get out while having no desire to dig himself deeper. They create two very different sides of the same coin, there’s a great cohesion between their emotions that brings the story together.
However, the balance isn’t quite there, the focus ends up being on Coombes’ Matt for the most part and it feels like Fulton’s Abigail falls to the wayside for big portions of Derelict. The issue that then creates is it’s diving deeply into that grim air, pushing the bleakness so much so that it can become all encompassing. Without more of Abigail’s story to add a bigger depth, it struggles to hold onto its sincerity. Particularly when it then tries to add in a sentimental ending which doesn’t match the tone of the rest of the film.
There’s a lot of great ideas within Derelict, they created a nicely original way to tell this story, but it feels like it had more to offer than the end result gave. The direction, editing and cinematography are all strong work that set an excellent foundation. The performances from the entire cast are solid across the board but the two leads really keep it grounded and honest. It’s simply missing that final element to cement the emotional depth and allow the film to strike a more affecting note.
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