Tribeca Film Festival Review: Rose of Nevada

Mark Jenkin, known for rustic, British drama-thrillers set against the coast of Cornwall, delivers the third part of his Cornish trilogy, Rose of Nevada. Through his unique aesthetics and the stark tension of a strange premise involving two fishermen and a haunted boat, Rose of Nevada is an enticing, albeit anticlimactic ride. 

Those that saw Jenkin’s last film, the 2022 experimental folk-horror flick Enys Men, will be familiar with the stylistic look of Rose of Nevada. And if you haven’t, you’re in for a sensory experience like no other. In line with Jenkins previous projects, he writes, directs, edits, leads cinematography, and creates the music for the film. With so much control over the experience, Jenkin delivers an atmosphere that’s instantly mesmerizing.

His cinematography is a visual masterpiece combining 16mm film stock, 4:3 aspect ratio, and a deliciously bright color palette. It’s not only beautiful to look at, but it also creates this haunting sense of contrast against the narrative’s spectral force. The sound design is equally as crisp with noises and dialogue having this unnerving echo. His choice to record all the sound solely in post-production pays off incredibly well and creates a one-of-a-kind aura. And it’s all backed by the incredible synth score that flawlessly matches the eerie (lite) sci-fi/horror drama. 

Rose of Nevada takes viewers into a maritime ghost story set within a remote Cornish fishing village decades after the titular fishing vessel goes missing. When the ship reappears nearly 30 years later, desperate locals Nick (George MacKay) and Liam (Callum Turner) board it to earn some quick money. However, they’re transported back to when the ship disappeared and find their hometown unrecognizable. Early on, the hooks of this paranormal premise get deep into you. There’s something unsettling about how quiet and dour this village has become since the Rose vanished and took the town’s spirit with it.

There’s this palpable, almost omnipotent desperation for money slowly pushing Nick and Liam towards the Rose. Even just the sheer presence of this boat is powerful and mysterious because of how suddenly it reappears. Then, as Nick and Liam explore their village’s past, Jenkin’s atmospheric thrills heighten and add strange layers. There’s this stark parallel to the present that’s chilling and causes Nick and Liam to be rightfully stunned. There are elements of mistaken identity that lead to super creepy confrontations as well as an overwhelming feeling of being trapped.

MacKay and Turner give great performances that highlight the shared disbelief and eventual division their characters endure. The panic and confused fear on MacKay’s face flawlessly translates into nerve-shredding tension. Turner brings a strong physical presence to the film and is more of a mystery as Liam, constantly making you question his every move. The differing view he has towards this new life reflects what he truly desires and results in some stern conflict between him and Nick. With this supernatural element, every night scene on this ship carries an overarching danger that culminates in some tense seafarring. 

Unfortunately, Jenkin can’t sustain this momentum. While Rose of Nevada isn’t as experimental and abstract as Enys Men, it becomes too aimless to fully enjoy. There are interesting character motivations and tablesetting that make you hopeful of what could come. But the film quickly becomes lost in its ideas once Nick and Liam realize how stuck they are. The potential of them dealing with the lives of people from the past and wondering if they’ll suffer the same dark fate simply never goes anywhere interesting. The film moves at such a sluggish pace that its lack of attainable storytelling makes you fall off its mystery fast. It’s such a shame because there’s a cool concept that’s left untapped and leads to underwhelming conclusions. 

Rose of Nevada is an undeniably great showcase for Jenkin as an artist because his technical efforts are such a sensory marvel that’s rarely seen like this. However, its central mystery only leads to disappointment because it drifts too deep into abstract territory. Even with two strong performances from MacKay and Turner, Rose of Nevada offers far more style than substance.