Directed by Jeanie Finlay, when thousands of dead crabs wash ashore along England’s North East coast, fisherman Stan Rennie finds himself leading a grassroots fight for answers and a future.
Even simply the likelihood of how few people watching All Rivers Spill Their Stories to the Sea will be aware of the events at the root of Stan Rennie’s fight is a clear signifier of how little the media in the UK gives airtime to issues outside of the capital, unless they’re of a violent nature. Firstly, Rennie was such a wonderful choice as the lead subject for this documentary. He’s relatable, down to earth and while he is very rightly outraged by the situation, he delivers his message in such a reasonable, accessible way. With some added swear words which of course, only make it more accessible and inherently British.
In some respects, Rennie’s fight is very of the modern age, discussing environmental impact and the vast, long-lasting consequences of commercial and industrial endeavours, but it’s also an age-old battle of the working man versus the machine. The everyday person trying to make a living facing off against a government that’s more concerned with profit and maintaining status quo with big companies. It’s an incredibly familiar story but that doesn’t dull the message of Rennie and his colleagues. Instead, it provides a great reminder of why the battle is worth fighting, and how a startling lack of accountability and bold-faced lies to the public need to continue to be challenged, because it only seems to get worse.
There’s a lot of great, relevant points highlighted in All Rivers Spill Their Stories to the Sea, one of the strongest being how the public were misled with Brexit. Especially in working class communities, deceiving them into thinking that this was going to reinvigorate the community, economy and job opportunities. Part of what makes Rennie’s story so effectively told, how it’s able to be humble and sympathetic but also poignant, is the style by Jeanie Finlay.
It starts out on this very friendly note to introduce you to its subjects, then as time goes on the atmosphere shifts. Initially it starts to feed a growing air of sadness and melancholy into the background. Then it brings through an investigative touch, which works surprisingly well and moves impressively smoothly. Finlay layers in emotions and humour to really connect with the community. Something that’s not surprising given her personal connection to Teesside. She uses that to bring you closer and instead of making something strictly observational, makes it conversational, bringing you into the fold. Something that was a fantastic choice because it only makes you connect more strongly with their fight, struggle and disillusionment.
All Rivers Spill Their Stories to the Sea is yet another reminder of how much UK politics will favour image, money, and short-term solutions over actually helping communities and acknowledging their very real, damaging problems. Not to mention the classic reticence of accepting responsibility or willingness to lay the blame at the feet of corporations. Jeanie Finlay crafts this documentary in a way that not only communicates the vital nature of the issue and how livelihoods that have been passed through generations are disappearing, but also does justice to the personalities and compassion of the subjects, including the lovely Stan Rennie. It says everything it needs to say, and has a truly personal touch which makes it so easy to connect with.
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