Aidan Moffat made his name as the singer in the indie band Arab Strap. Latterly, he has become fascinated by his Scottish musical heritage. This nimble little film follows his mission to repurpose timeless folk songs and bring them to the swilling city streets. Like Moffat’s project, the film is affectionate, playful and irreverent in spirit. But it becomes something else altogether, something affecting and profound, when folk legend Sheila Stewart appears. She staunchly disapproves of Moffat’s appropriation of the songs she has spent her life performing. And she argues her point in the best way possible – on stage, unaccompanied, belting out a ballad with a force as primal as the sea she sings about.
