Ever Here I Be

Valerie has returned, taken a job in a café, hasn't yet run into her old flame Jason. That doesn't last. Kate Burton's film is both touching and amusing, with a distinct visual sensibility. It's her second short. She's clearly talented, but it's a shame we've had to wait three years for it. However, given the quality of this film it's been time well spent.

Valerie is played well by Tuppence Middleton. She's a talented actress, in no fewer than three films at the 2010 Edinburgh Film Festival. She's charismatic, captivating, holding a tea party for ants, her fond reassurance to her shoes ("don't worry, I'll come back for you"), and the exchange as she's getting sacked from a job "is it because I burned a customer?"

Stevie Jackson's song If I Can't Love Myself and Daniel Padden's music are both well used, but it's the script and the visuals that really sing. Jason works with neon, and the title is what is left of a broken sign. It's not the only clever touch - lush colour, writing in concrete, the clatter of a train and the Lynchian sage in the Grand Ole Opry all contribute to a distinct and enjoyable feel. The Flying Fish Café, the nebbish Chris, the advice of the mysterious patron, the hidden words of that sign add to that whimsical air.

As Jason, Christopher Simpson is heartwarming, and there seems a genuine chemistry with Middleton as Valerie. As the stranger, theatre, and (with five appearances in Taggart) TV veteran Stewart Porter is hypnotic, recalling Monty Montgomery's turn as The Cowboy in Mulholland Drive.

Gentle, tending to the hyperreal, Ever Here I Be amuses. Audiences from Glasgow might find themselves playing 'spot the location', but that's no great distraction in comparison to charming dialogue and the wonderful imagery. There are some striking sets, in particular Jason's workshop, but the performances Burton elicits from her cast and script help make this somewhere audiences should be in front of.