Rose of Nevada (2026) – Review

Quick thoughts:

1. I love it.
2. George MacKay and Callum Turner 
3. Director/writer Mark Jenkin has crafted a wonderful sci-fi film.
4. The 16mm Bolex Camera captures some beautiful images. The blocking, staging and shot selection are inspired.
5. It’s wild that they recorded all the sound in post-production.  The Foley and ADR work are top-notch.
6. Make sure to watch Bait (2019) and Enys Men (2022). 

Between Mad God, Hundreds of Beavers, I Love Boosters, and Rose of Nevada, the 2020s have produced several excellent hand-crafted films created by people who love making movies. There’s something thrilling about watching a filmmaker create unique cinematic experiences that utilizes old-school techniques to create something beautiful. Director/writer/DP/editor Mark Jenkin (Bait, Enys Men, Rose of Nevada  – his Cornish trilogy) has emerged as a filmmaker to watch because of the unique ways he and his collaborators piece together their authentic productions. 

The film opens with a character named Nick (George MacKay) picking up food from a local food bank that is surrounded by closed businesses and abandoned homes. The Cornish fishing village he lives in is surrounded by beauty, but the fishing industry left the village, eliminating jobs and creating a ghost town. Despite the lack of work, Nick lives a happy life with his wife Emily (Mae Voogd) and his daughter. While fixing a leak in his roof, Nick falls through it, creating a large hole that needs to be repaired immediately (it rains a lot in Cornwall). In a good/bad situation, a fishing boat (Rose of Nevada) reappears at the docks after a 30-year absence and is fixed up by its owner, Mike (Edward Rowe), and his friend Tina (Rosalin Eleazar), whose husband disappeared with the boat. Their plans are a bit fishy and mysterious, and the man they hire to captain the boat (Francis Magee) appears to warp time as raindrops defy gravity by rolling up his arms. The third person on the boat crew is Liam (Callum Turner), a homeless traveler who is found sleeping in an abandoned boathouse near the docks. 

The first fishing trip is a success as they pack the boat with fish and return to the docks to get paid. However, Liam and Nick quickly learn that they’ve traveled back 30 years to 1993, where they find a bustling fishing industry and thriving businesses. This is really bad news for Nick, who finds out that his wife and child don’t exist, and he’s mistaken for a man named Luke (who killed himself after the doomed fishing expedition). Things look better for Liam, who is mistaken for a married man named Alan (who disappeared on the journey). Liam doesn’t mind going back in time because he has a wife, kid, and home (which is way better than being homeless). Together, the two navigate their new reality and learn to accept being stuck in the past. It would be a shame to spoil the rest; just know that it involves morning sickness (very funny joke), fishing trips, and acceptance. 

Turner and MacKay had 20-30 seconds per take because the 16mm Bolex Camera could only capture a limited amount of footage while rolling. This meant that their movements were heavily rehearsed as each shot needed to be deliberate and exact. The good news is that despite the deliberateness, the film never feels precious or false. It’s also neat that Jenkin recorded all the sounds in post-production, which must’ve kept him busy as he recorded boat sounds, birds, dialogue, grunting, splashing water, dripping sinks, and thousands of footsteps. The lack of on-set sound recording equipment allowed Jenkin to solely focus on the visuals, which was a smart move because the film is beautiful and patient. 

Like Bait and Enys Men, the deliberate nature won’t be for everyone. However, if you are looking for a hand-crafted experience that explores nostalgia, loss, decay and acceptance, it doesn’t get any better than Rose of Nevada.