Such a frustrating disappointment

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

There are still places in the far north west of Scotland where you can drive for miles and scarcely see a house, with vast uninhabited moors between the roads, but for the most part, life in these parts is a story of small, remote communities that are communities nonetheless. Scott Graham's film takes us to lonelier place, however, the story of a young woman living an unhealthily close life with her needy, epileptic father: this might not be a normal life even in the highlands, but this a certainly a place where the daily practice of separation from others could lead to emotional isolation. The film follows the maxim of "show don't tell", which is often a good one; but here we only see a bleak portrait of empty lives, with exemplary incidents but little narrative: it's almost impossible to judge anyone as "good", "bad", or even "likeable" this far outside the normal physical and moral terrain. It's not an awful film, but a dash of something - humour, plot, malice - would not have gone amiss.

Here is a perfect example of a movie that should never have got funding. We have a great, isolated, bleak landscape. A father and daughter deserted by a mother and wife. However we are given nothing to work with. No social or familial links explained. No feelings or thoughts ever discussed. All we get is silence, into which, I presume, we are expected to project our our own ideas. Why was Shell taken out of school? What's the relevance of the book 'The Heart is a Lonely Hunter' left behind by a client? Then Dad and her start kissing and Dad starts to think she is his wife? Then he ups and kills himself. Honestly...a real pile of crap.

Artsy-fartsy character study of creepy father and daughter combo stranded in the middle of nowhere. As the minutes of your life tick away never to return the only comfort to be had is the knowledge that at least your life is not as godawful as theirs.One-note throughout, it plods, grimly towards it's dreary conclusion. Whoever thought this was worth funding clearly has more money than sense.The acting is suitably stilted to the point of somnambulent. The dialog is largely monosyllabic. All in all, it is truly the movie equivalent of watching paint dry. Not only was it never worth a trip to the cinema it isn't even worth a free download. Don't waste your electricity.

A lonely existence in an isolated spot, looking after an introverted epileptic father.In spite of the minimalistic tone both in terms of story, scenery and characters a good job has been done in terms of narrating the story of a father and a daughter in this seemingly isolated existence. What would have probably been intolerable for most, these two souls do not seem to mind, nor looking for a change in their situation. They have a close bond that surpasses everything and ties them together and to that place.The raggedly beautiful backdrop of the windy Scottish Highlands adds a pleasant variance to the ambiance of this story.A great thing about "Shell" is that the girl in the epicentre despite the remoteness in which she leaves she is popular among clients, some of whom openly express their feelings but it does not change her nor makes her full of herself. She always remains the girl at the gas station.A let down is the prevailing sense of misery that seems to be the norm in most of modern British cinema.Despite its contained nature, this is a careful and well exposed character study.