Shell

A father and daughter's austere existence running a petrol station on a remote road in the Highlands of Scotland provides the substance for the first feature from writer/director Scott Graham (expanded from his 2007 short film). Newcomer Chloe Pirrie delivers a sensitive, spirited performance as the teenage Shell, but the way the film uses her uncomfortable bond with her epileptic dad (Joseph Mawle, battling with a difficult role) seems like glib gloss on an unpalatable situation, while the vulnerable young girl's relationship with certain male customers also smacks of storytelling convenience. A botched, unnecessarily melodramatic finale compounds the film's problems, which is a shame, since Graham has an eye for an elegant composition and is able to construct a distinctive sense of place, where the road and the open countryside present a world of possibilities but the daily grind of running the business is almost a prison. However, he clearly needs to work harder on the basics of putting a plot together.