On the windswept Suffolk mudflats creaks a bird-hide, inside which hovers Roy Tunt, a prematurely aged, mildly obsessive-compulsive birder. With one more sighting - the elusive sociable plover - he will have 'twitched' the entire British List. Tunt has his shortwave radio, packed-lunch and a portrait of his ex-wife Sandra for company. Suddenly, in the midst of a conversation with Sandra's portrait, the hide door blows open and a bedraggled stranger - unshaven, edgy and bloodied introduces himself as Dave John, a fugitive from the storm. After a tense introduction, the two men discover that they have a good deal in common, sharing sandwiches, tea and personal exchanges which are frank, poignant and often funny. As the two men begin to form a close bond news of a police manhunt sets them both on edge driving their fragile relationship to a tragic conclusion.
Acting
Macqueen's twitchy, heartbreaking precision — every tic tells.
Writing
Dialogue so British it hurts; subtext you could drown in.
Director
Marek Losey
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Marek Losey is grandson of legendary director Joseph Losey — the atmospheric tension runs in the family.
The sociable plover itself is a metaphor: Roy chases something that doesn't want to be found, mirroring his failed marriage and the stranger he lets too close.
US
GB
