Out Of The Cold

Isolation creates its own diversity, methods of disguising the desolation of a life without hope. For the boy Patrick, it's holding his breath under water. He wants to break the record, but knows he won't.

At home, no one listens to him. Mum and dad argue all the time. There is misery here and despair. Patrick talks about the weather, anything to break the barrier that blocks affection.

They live in a Highland fishing village, clinging to the edge of a barren land. "You're right," Patrick tells his friend. "I can't hold my breath forever." Like he can't escape the pain that is tearing his parents' marriage apart.

Nic Shearer's film has a sensitivy that defies explanation. What has happened to Patrick's mother that makes her closed now? The boy is a witness and a burden. He looks for a place where his voice has an identity.

The acting is of the highest quality. Fergus Haigh, as Patrick, gives an astonishingly assured performance, which enables Shearer to tread lightly on emotions that swirl and rage like the sea.