Here is a crime drama from director-cinematographer-editor Jonathan Zaurin in which Abigail (Suzanne Fulton) is mourning the violent murder of her father while entertaining hopes of revenge against his killer. Meanwhile, two very different brothers navigate reconnection after one is released from prison: Matt (Michael Coombes), the younger brother, is a shy, soft kind of guy, while ex-con Ewan (Pete Bird) is confident and cocky and seemingly determined to head straight back down the kind of path that led to him getting banged up in the first place. Only this time, perhaps he’ll drag his little brother along for the ride.
Derelict is self-evidently a low-budget affair – it reportedly took as little as £35k to film on location in Herefordshire, and that lack of resource can’t always be concealed. There are also a fair few instances of sequences that presumably felt realistic on the page but strike a false note on the screen: for example, it will never be convincing to have one actor stand still while yelling “come back!” as another actor walks away from them. It might sound pedantic but it’s the kind of thing that gives a telenovela feel to a film aiming for gritty realism. Some of the acting is likewise variable in its plausibility.
But two players in particular stand out. As Abigail, Fulton paints a portrait of a woman who has shut down almost completely, while still giving us enough to go on that we stay with the character’s pain. And Coombes, as younger brother Matt, brings a soulful authenticity to a layered and original role. This is a film that you will need to make some allowances for – it’s clearly a labour of love and in dire need of a tighter edit – but there’s talent here: call it a diamond in the rough.
• Derelict is on digital platforms from 1 September.
