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Bait

Play trailer 1:44 Poster for Bait 2019 1h 29m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 40 Reviews 58% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Tension rises to the breaking point in a Cornwall fishing village when the local citizens are crowded out by tourists.
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Bait

Bait

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Critics Consensus

As visually distinctive as it is narratively satisfying, Bait blends a classic aesthetic with timely themes to produce a thrillingly original and uniquely enriching drama.

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Critics Reviews

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Mark Kermode Observer (UK) It's a genuine modern masterpiece, which establishes Jenkin as one of the most arresting and intriguing British film-makers of his generation. Rated: 5/5 Sep 1, 2019 Full Review Kevin Maher Times (UK) In one of the most extraordinary movie experiences of the year, this Cornish-set drama unfolds in scratchy monochrome and jumpy, jarring shots, mostly featuring weather-beaten fishermen, and lobster pots, and nets and boats. Rated: 4/5 Aug 31, 2019 Full Review Linda Marric HeyUGuys Mark Jenkin has given us a brilliantly original, intriguing and deeply engaging story which is sure to resonate with anyone who has spent any amount of time in Cornwall as a tourist or otherwise. Rated: 5/5 Aug 30, 2019 Full Review Calum Cooper Source (Scotland) Mark Jenkin’s Bait is the most strikingly original British film in years. Visually breath-taking, and brimming with thematic subtext, the film is woven as articulately as a fisherman’s net. Rated: 5/5 Jul 14, 2024 Full Review John Serba Decider There’s a level of affectation to Bait’s presentation suggesting… whatever you want it to suggest, I guess. Either way, it’s a hurdle to overcome on the way to feeling involved in this strangely engrossing class-divide drama. Aug 9, 2023 Full Review Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm ...functions on a subliminal level. Rated: 3/4 May 25, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Kyle M With enough studious exposure to appreciate the crafted aesthetics that dimensionally speaks traditional roots against class culture with expressive unpredictability, and a mentally-linked screenplay performatively unbalanced, this unique trip is a roughened gem worth gazing that signify hopeful revival in horizonal creativity. (B) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/13/24 Full Review Diana S This is an objectively good movie in terms of style (which is retro and understated) and theme (the rich are perpetually problematic). The writing is eloquent, the acting tight. I didn't emotionally connect with it, overall, but it's probably just personal taste/cultural. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/23/23 Full Review Jason R A film that makes some very odd choices https://uberscaryblog.blogspot.com/2023/08/continuing-my-trip-up-guardians-top-50.html Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/10/23 Full Review Wayne K Arthouse films & I have had a turbulent relationship over the years. There's few things more annoying to me in cinema than an arthouse flick with nothing to say, but saying it in an obtuse, abstract way in order to appear profound and meaningful. Bait is a pretty interesting example of the phenomenon. More happens here than in some artsy films I've seen in the past. The conflict is clearly established, and we get to see it from both sides. It's a very common and pervasive theme being tackled, and its relatability gives it a solid footing in terms of narrative. What our lead Martin wants makes sense, and it's up to us to judge whether or not he's going about it the right way, and the grainy, cracked, black and white aesthetic serves to emphasis the bleak and insecure situation the lead finds himself in. I can very much understand most people not liking it as a movie experience. A story like this could easily be told with a straightforward approach, so the question I'm forced to ask is ‘What purpose does it serve to tell it in this manner? Would we have less sympathy for Martin if the movie was conventionally structured, if it was in colour, if the line delivery didn't feel so robotic and awkward, or if it didn't have random smash cuts, freezeframes and shots that are entirely silent? Maybe Mark Jenkin is just a man who likes to experiment and is endeavouring to find his own unique style that'll set him apart. Good luck to him, I say. He might not endear himself to many people, but at least his films will always stand out. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/24/23 Full Review Kevin L Cinema is first and foremost a visual medium. For all the brilliant screenplays, story lines, acting performances, scores, etc., cinema is an art form that first deals with the effect of the visual. Jenkin seems to realize this by the way he structured this film. We see events before they happen, that foreshadow, that show events that may happen based on the actions of the moment. This is an impressive work. 3.6 stars Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/14/24 Full Review Audience Member Cool screen play and pictures. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Bait

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Tension rises to the breaking point in a Cornwall fishing village when the local citizens are crowded out by tourists.
Director
Mark Jenkin
Producer
Kate Byers, Linn Waite
Screenwriter
Mark Jenkin
Production Co
Early Day Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
British English
Runtime
1h 29m
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