The Sea Change
Photo Courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival
Amid the chic circles of London's upwardly mobile, director Michael Bray has fashioned an old-world fable of love, transformation, and redemption with a modern veneer. A quick-witted fusion of charm and sentiment, The Sea Change is a bracingly spirited romance.
In work and life, Rupert is consumed by ambition and a ruthless "seize, desist, and exploit" modus operandi. Needless to say, he has achieved great professional heights but very few admirers. With all the material trappings of success, Rupert looks to cap off his yuppie package by marrying his girlfriend Alison. Anticipating another triumphant negotiation, he instructs his secretary to complete the necessary "skirt work" to seal the deal: purchase the ring, book the restaurant, and clear a forty-five-minute window in his schedule. To his astonishment, Alison rejects his proposal and threatens to leave altogether unless he changes his arrogant and passionless ways. Desperate to prove her wrong, Rupert races home from a meeting in Barcelona to attend her birthday dinner. However, when his flight is detained and fate lands him in the objectionable company of a working-class builder, Rupert must reevaluate his priorities.
With disarming sweetness and supple wit, Michael Bray builds a rich and touching portrait of a man wrestling to overcome his fear of failure. Underscored by refreshing simplicity, The Sea Change is a film to rekindle even the most jaded viewer's faith in our capacity for change.
- Rebecca Yeldham
Directed by: Michael Bray
Written by: Michael Bray, Billy Hurman
Starring: Ray Winstone, Maryam d'Abo, Sean Chapman, Andree Bernard
Produced by: Billy Hurman, Gary Smith
Original Music by: Mark Thomas
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