It’s a very impressive thing making a feature film. It’s also impressive to write one too. First time director Harry Macqueen, not only wrote latest indie flick Hinterland but he also leads the way as main character Harvey. A very impressive trio indeed which lead to Hinterland being shortlisted for Best UK Feature at the 2014 Raindance Film Festival, and with good reason. After getting past the incredibly indie and alternative tone of this one, what lies beneath is a subtle tale of friendship, love and most importantly self-discovery.
As well as wanting to transform the life you lead, trying to find meaning in the things we do, the people we see, the places we visit is an even more daunting desire. When two old friends become reacquainted, it seems it’s us as humans who are incapable of finding meaning; it’s our surroundings that are working against us. Trough Harvey and Lola, Macqueen carefully captures the struggles faced by Millennials in contemporary Britain. One could argue that such problems faced will relate to anyone and not just the generation who were approaching adulthood in 2000. Nevertheless, it seems these characters may be expecting too much for their current situation and landscape that ultimately they are the problem, not the world they reside in.
Catch Hinterland in cinemas and on demand from 27th February.