HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL 2024 REVIEW! Shouting At The Sea was written by Kate Auster, Ruth Marshall, Amelia Rowcroft, and Benjamin Verrall, who also directed the short. The film follows Joe (Harry Michell) and Katherine (Maddie Rice), two former high school classmates catching up after years of not seeing one another. She came to town for a wedding, while he stayed after graduating to take care of his dad. Joe is single while Katherine is married with children.
The friends’ day together is narrated by the Sea (Daisy Haggard), as the town is nestled along the coast. Memories and dreams resurface as long-forgotten secrets and desires come to light. How have these two changed after all this time? How have they stayed the same?
Shouting At The Sea is a simple conversation between two friends over a precise timeframe. The Sea interjects her thoughts on the way, tying the theme of nature and nurture and growing up and apart together. Through Joe and Katherine, loss, grief, closure, and trauma are explored. Though the screenwriters and directors are too smart to sledgehammer these points, allowing them to rise as the friends talk organically.

“…two former high school classmates catching up after years of not seeing one another.”
Tom Hooker’s cinematography is sumptuous, capturing the pull of the sea and the allure of the town. The shots of Joe and Katherine on a train are scenic and relaxing. The cutaways to lapping waves and the currents of the oceans are serene. The lighting is also expertly handled. The arcade scene is lit so well it perfectly reflects the inner lives of the leads.
Michell and Rice are great. Individually, they fully inhabit their roles while sharing strong chemistry that sells how old of friends these two are. Michell saying that Katherine “had it worse” than he did is very emotional. Rice showing sorrow over the death of Joe’s father is sweet without overdoing it. Haggard’s voice-over
Shouting At The Sea is an excellent and tender drama. The two leads are fantastic and bring their introspective parts to vivid life. Haggard’s voice-over, along with the outstanding cinematography, conveys the allure of the sea and what it means to this place and these people.
Shouting At The Sea screened at the 2024 Hollyshorts Film Festival.