True North (film)
Encyclopedia
True North is a 2006 Scottish drama film
directed by Steve Hudson and starring Martin Compston
, Peter Mullan
, Gary Lewis
and Steven Robertson
as sailors aboard a Scottish fishing boat smuggling Chinese
into the United Kingdom
.
The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in Canada on September 11, 2006 and was also shown at the Max Ophüls Festival in Germany, the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic, the Copenhagen International Film Festival
in Denmark and the Ourense International Film Festival in Spain.
province speaking to a Snakehead
(a smuggler of people), telling him the false stories they will use for sympathy in the West.
The Providence, a Scottish fishing trawler from Peterhead
, lands at the docks in Oostende, Belgium
where all of the crew but the Skipper (Lewis
) debark. His son, Seán (Compston
), the ship's crewman, Riley (Mullan
), and the cook (Robertson
) then go to an all-night café before splitting up; Seán phones and goes to meet a contact, Riley visits a local brothel
and the cook remains at the café. Seán meets his contact, a local man named Pol (Hark Bohm
), in a dockside warehouse in the hope of being paid to smuggle cigarettes tax-free. Pol has no cigarettes, however, and instead offers Seán a large sum of money to smuggle a group of Chinese
immigrants into the United Kingdom
. Seán reluctantly agrees as he and his father are heavily-indebted after failing to catch enough fish to pay the mortgage. Riley returns to find the Chinese aboard the ship, but he and Seán agree not to inform the Skipper or the cook.
The Chinese are kept below deck in poor conditions but one, a 12-year-old girl named Su Li (Angel Li), sneaks off and lives in another part of the boat. She begins to steal food from the kitchen but the slow-witted cook eventually notices that some of his food is missing. Seán insists they can't go home without a good catch as an empty boat would look suspicious and the cargo hold may be searched and the Chinese discovered. The nets come up near empty almost every time, however, and the conditions in the hold are beginning to deteriot rapidly. When one of the Chinese dies, Riley goes to the Skipper and confesses all. The Skipper confronts Seán but soon realises that he was simply doing what was in the ship's, and their, best interests. For the first time, the Skipper is forced to acknowledge that he's only making a loss by staying at sea. Broken, he gives the wheel to Seán, who turns for home. Meanwhile, the cook discovers Su Li and comforts her, but does not inform anyone else of her presence on board the ship. The Skipper believes that if they return to Scotland, they will face certain arrest; he will lose his license, and the bank will foreclose on the boat. He drowns the Chinese without telling anyone. Seán and Riley then see the nets are full and pull them up. The crew is horrified to find the corpses of the Chinese. The cook attacks the Skipper with a chain and kills him, as he would have no choice but to kill Su Li also.
The film then ends with Riley and Su Li sitting at a bus stop in Peterhead, Scotland. Su Li gets on a coach and it drives away. Inside her bag is the large sum of money from the ship.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Steve Hudson and starring Martin Compston
Martin Compston
Martin Compston is a Scottish actor and former professional footballer. He is perhaps most notable for his role as Liam in Sweet Sixteen, and for his role as Ewan Brodie in Monarch of the Glen.- Biography :...
, Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan is a Scottish actor and film-maker who has been appearing in films since 1990.-Early life:Mullan, the sixth of eight children, was born in Peterhead in the northeast of Scotland, the son of Patricia, a nurse, and Charles Mullan, a lab technician who worked at Glasgow University. He...
, Gary Lewis
Gary Lewis (actor)
Gary Lewis is a Scottish actor. He has had parts in Billy Elliot, Gangs of New York, Eragon and Three and Out, as well as a major role in the television docudrama, Supervolcano.-Early life:...
and Steven Robertson
Steven Robertson
Steven Robertson is a Scottish theatre and film actor.-Education:* Vidlin Primary School* Brae High School* Anderson High School, Lerwick* Fife College , Kirkcaldy...
as sailors aboard a Scottish fishing boat smuggling Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
into the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in Canada on September 11, 2006 and was also shown at the Max Ophüls Festival in Germany, the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic, the Copenhagen International Film Festival
Copenhagen International Film Festival
Copenhagen International Film Festival is a film festival held in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was first held in 2003, and is held annually. The main award at the Copenhagen International Film Festival is the Golden Swan, which will be awarded for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best...
in Denmark and the Ourense International Film Festival in Spain.
Plot
The film begins showing a group of farmers from China's FujianFujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
province speaking to a Snakehead
Snakehead (gang)
Snakeheads are Chinese gangs that smuggle people to other countries. They are found in the Fujian region of China and smuggle their customers into wealthier Western countries such as those in Western Europe, North America, Australia, and some nearby wealthier countries such as Taiwan and...
(a smuggler of people), telling him the false stories they will use for sympathy in the West.
The Providence, a Scottish fishing trawler from Peterhead
Peterhead
Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006....
, lands at the docks in Oostende, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
where all of the crew but the Skipper (Lewis
Gary Lewis (actor)
Gary Lewis is a Scottish actor. He has had parts in Billy Elliot, Gangs of New York, Eragon and Three and Out, as well as a major role in the television docudrama, Supervolcano.-Early life:...
) debark. His son, Seán (Compston
Martin Compston
Martin Compston is a Scottish actor and former professional footballer. He is perhaps most notable for his role as Liam in Sweet Sixteen, and for his role as Ewan Brodie in Monarch of the Glen.- Biography :...
), the ship's crewman, Riley (Mullan
Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan is a Scottish actor and film-maker who has been appearing in films since 1990.-Early life:Mullan, the sixth of eight children, was born in Peterhead in the northeast of Scotland, the son of Patricia, a nurse, and Charles Mullan, a lab technician who worked at Glasgow University. He...
), and the cook (Robertson
Steven Robertson
Steven Robertson is a Scottish theatre and film actor.-Education:* Vidlin Primary School* Brae High School* Anderson High School, Lerwick* Fife College , Kirkcaldy...
) then go to an all-night café before splitting up; Seán phones and goes to meet a contact, Riley visits a local brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
and the cook remains at the café. Seán meets his contact, a local man named Pol (Hark Bohm
Hark Bohm
Hark Bohm is a German actor, screenwriter, film director, playwright and former professor for cinema studies. He was born in Hamburg-Othmarschen and grew up on the island Amrum. His younger brother was the actor Marquard Bohm, who starred in some of his early films...
), in a dockside warehouse in the hope of being paid to smuggle cigarettes tax-free. Pol has no cigarettes, however, and instead offers Seán a large sum of money to smuggle a group of Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
immigrants into the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Seán reluctantly agrees as he and his father are heavily-indebted after failing to catch enough fish to pay the mortgage. Riley returns to find the Chinese aboard the ship, but he and Seán agree not to inform the Skipper or the cook.
The Chinese are kept below deck in poor conditions but one, a 12-year-old girl named Su Li (Angel Li), sneaks off and lives in another part of the boat. She begins to steal food from the kitchen but the slow-witted cook eventually notices that some of his food is missing. Seán insists they can't go home without a good catch as an empty boat would look suspicious and the cargo hold may be searched and the Chinese discovered. The nets come up near empty almost every time, however, and the conditions in the hold are beginning to deteriot rapidly. When one of the Chinese dies, Riley goes to the Skipper and confesses all. The Skipper confronts Seán but soon realises that he was simply doing what was in the ship's, and their, best interests. For the first time, the Skipper is forced to acknowledge that he's only making a loss by staying at sea. Broken, he gives the wheel to Seán, who turns for home. Meanwhile, the cook discovers Su Li and comforts her, but does not inform anyone else of her presence on board the ship. The Skipper believes that if they return to Scotland, they will face certain arrest; he will lose his license, and the bank will foreclose on the boat. He drowns the Chinese without telling anyone. Seán and Riley then see the nets are full and pull them up. The crew is horrified to find the corpses of the Chinese. The cook attacks the Skipper with a chain and kills him, as he would have no choice but to kill Su Li also.
The film then ends with Riley and Su Li sitting at a bus stop in Peterhead, Scotland. Su Li gets on a coach and it drives away. Inside her bag is the large sum of money from the ship.
Cast
- Peter MullanPeter MullanPeter Mullan is a Scottish actor and film-maker who has been appearing in films since 1990.-Early life:Mullan, the sixth of eight children, was born in Peterhead in the northeast of Scotland, the son of Patricia, a nurse, and Charles Mullan, a lab technician who worked at Glasgow University. He...
as Riley - Martin CompstonMartin CompstonMartin Compston is a Scottish actor and former professional footballer. He is perhaps most notable for his role as Liam in Sweet Sixteen, and for his role as Ewan Brodie in Monarch of the Glen.- Biography :...
as Seán - Gary LewisGary Lewis (actor)Gary Lewis is a Scottish actor. He has had parts in Billy Elliot, Gangs of New York, Eragon and Three and Out, as well as a major role in the television docudrama, Supervolcano.-Early life:...
as The Skipper - Steven RobertsonSteven RobertsonSteven Robertson is a Scottish theatre and film actor.-Education:* Vidlin Primary School* Brae High School* Anderson High School, Lerwick* Fife College , Kirkcaldy...
as The Cook - Angel Li as Su Li
- Hark BohmHark BohmHark Bohm is a German actor, screenwriter, film director, playwright and former professor for cinema studies. He was born in Hamburg-Othmarschen and grew up on the island Amrum. His younger brother was the actor Marquard Bohm, who starred in some of his early films...
as Pol - Pat KiernanPat KiernanPatrick Kiernan is a New York City news anchor, appearing as the morning anchor of NY1 since 1997. Kiernan has become widely known in New York City for his "In the Papers" feature, in which he summarizes the colorful content in New York City's daily newspapers, replete with his deadpan humor...
as Henri - Shi Ming as The Snakehead