Written and directed by Isabel Moncloa Daly, co-written by Issy Brett and Carys Glynne, Morwenna is scraping by, searching for artistic inspiration, battling heartbreak and trying to fend off tourists seeking to buy her grandfather’s house. When she meets the nomadic Inga, her life is transformed. But how can a girl and a selkie make a relationship work? Starring: Anna Ivankovic, Carys Glynne, Anna Liddell, Sam Hunter, Sally Geake, Tamara Rosenwyn, Isaak Frost, Isabella Esposito and Joanne Rogers.

The opening of Washed Up doesn’t quite set the tone for what’s to come, it was a strange choice as it’s highly sentimental and reflective of something more sombre, but as soon as it moves to its opening credits, then you get an idea of what the film is going for. It feels directly drawn from romcoms of the 2000s and early 2010s, with that light and bubbly tone, plenty of awkwardness and clumsiness, while wearing a big, big heart right on its sleeve. In Morwenna (Anna Ivankovic) you’ve got that quintessential 20-something screw-up personality, someone never quite able to figure themselves out, find their self-confidence and discover what they actually want. Which is always a good starting place for a romcom.

Isabel Moncloa Daly’s visual style goes hand in hand with that, it’s bright and breezy, adding in a little bit of quirky and lots of seaside sun. Although it’s a shame to not see it bring through that fantasy element a little stronger. If you were to go into this completely cold, the initial scenes with Inga (Carys Glynne) might seem strange and overly offbeat, but knowing that she’s a selkie, it makes perfect sense. As it is fairly niche to use folklore, even though it pairs very well with the genre, building upon that to inject a bigger creativity and individuality could have strengthened Washed Up further. Especially to aid with the progression as it moves quite slowly.

However, it does still work well without that, it’s cute and sweet and choosing to explore the idea of control and insecurity in relationships through the folklore was a great idea. Something that’s captured lovingly by the excellent performances from Anna Ivankovic and Carys Glynne, their chemistry is utterly natural and charming. The ups and downs of their relationship feel perfectly organic, Ivankovic brings a very wholesome vulnerability to Morwenna, as well as a truly relatable exasperation with daily life. While Glynne adds in an endearing bluntness and honesty to Inga, the oddity which she creates with her personality takes a little bit of getting used to at first but as soon as she’s paired with Ivankovic, it’s funny and unusual with a little bit of cheekiness.

The comedy is something that Washed Up has a little trouble finding its balance, there’s some great writing in there but it’s not entirely consistent. When they pick up the patter, it gets much stronger. There’s some excellent banter and a few nicely chosen lines but not everything lands as well as it could have. Although, the romantic side of things definitely runs strongly all throughout and it’s a well-constructed story. Adding the use of Cornish in there was a nice addition too.

Washed Up is sweet and cute, and making a tale of trying to build a relationship with a selkie who continually returns to the sea makes for an impressively good translation of long-distance relationships and issues of control, commitment and insecurity. Anna Ivankovic and Carys Glynne make for a wonderful couple, they have an excellent chemistry, and their bond is touching and very natural. Isabel Moncloa Daly injects a bubbly energy, a lot of vulnerability and a few quirks into its traditional romcom feel. It’s a lovely watch but doesn’t quite reach its full potential.

Verdict: ✯✯✯½ | 7/10

Screened as part of BFI Flare & London Independent Film Festival 2026 | For updates follow Maximalist Productions

• Comedy isn’t entirely consistent, some parts of the writing are much stronger than others, if they could have kept that going, it would have really elevated the film.
• Good representation of selfish choices within relationships / casually controlling behaviours.