Bait

"The view may be beautiful, but you can't eat it."

2019 1h 29m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

🔥

100%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★6.6TMDB · 112🍅100%Rotten Tomatoes●83Metacritic★7.1IMDB · 5,840

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Martin Ward is a cove fisherman, without a boat. His brother Steven has repurposed their father’s vessel as a tourist tripper, driving a wedge between the brothers. With their childhood home now a getaway for London money, Martin is displaced to the estate above the picturesque harbour. As his struggle to restore the family to their traditional place creates increasing friction with tourists and locals alike, a tragedy at the heart of the family changes his world.

“The view may be beautiful, but you can't eat it.”

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Cast

Edward Rowe
Martin Ward
Mary Woodvine
Sandra Leigh
Giles King
Steven Ward
Simon Shepherd
Tim Leigh
Chloe Endean
Wenna Kowalski
Janet Thirlaway
Mrs. Peters
Isaac Woodvine
Neil Ward
Martin Ellis
Billy Ward

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mark Jenkin
Writers: Mark Jenkin
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mark Jenkin, shot by Mark Jenkin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Jenkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mark Jenkin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Edward Rowe and Mary Woodvine and Giles King carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The view may be beautiful, but you can't eat it.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mark Jenkin directs. Mark Jenkin behind the camera. Mark Jenkin scores. Mark Jenkin cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 7 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Mark Jenkin, shot by Mark Jenkin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Mark Jenkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Mark Jenkin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Edward Rowe and Mary Woodvine and Giles King carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The view may be beautiful, but you can't eat it.".
9IMDB entry: tt9652782 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 13 themes, including "boat", "fishing", "fisherman", "surrealism".

The technical file

Cinematography: Mark Jenkin
Original score: Mark Jenkin
Editing: Mark Jenkin
Costume design: Mae Voogd
Runtime: 89 min · 1h 29m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Bait (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 83/100
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 5,840 votes

Awards

Won 1 BAFTA Award. 9 wins & 15 nominations total

Also by

Mark Jenkin

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-06-08
★ 6/10
"Martin" (a competent Edward Rowe) is struggling to come to terms with changes in his tiny fishing village that have left him a bit adrift. His brother has decided that more cash can be made if they use their late father's boat for tourist trips and their former family home is now lived in by "Sandra" (Mary Woodvine" and "Tim" (Simon Shepherd) who compound his frustration by being considered interlopers. The photography helps this stand out for about half an hour. It's monochrome and the camera cuts regularly and effectively between characters, beauty shots and even mixes conversations in an innovate style - especially in scenes like the one in the pool room/at the bar. The thing is, though, once we have become exposed to the techniques of auteur Mark Jenkin, the thing takes a series of rather predictably repetitive turns; the characters turn out to be annoyingly undercooked and the paucity of dialogue all contributes to a rather shallow look at small town mentalities. Woodvine and Stacey Guthrie's bar owning "Liz" serve well as fire-break type characters to absorb some of the intensity from the increasingly exasperated "Martin" but this is really a short film that's overstretched. It is an interesting production and at times looks like it might have made for a decent silent film - but I didn't love it.

Production companies