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Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Beautifully shot and scripted, this gripping human drama is one of the best British films I've seen in recent years.Two of a four-man crew on a Scottish fishing trawler on the verge of bankruptcy decide to traffic a group of Chinese immigrants in their hold; the young first mate (Martin Compston) keeps this highly illegal transaction secret from his proud father and boat's captain (Gary Lewis), but hopes it should go a long way to balancing the books. Meanwhile the dodgy crew member (Peter Mullan), who persuaded him to do the deed in the first place, gradually starts to develop a conscience as he witnesses the worsening degradation of the people slowly dying in the bowels of their vessel. Meanwhile sexually confused cook (Steven Robertson) helps the young pre-teen girl (Angel Li, on her debut) who is driven by desperation to steal out of the fetid, watery hold to his galley.The five principals are utterly compelling throughout, making the unflinching honesty of the story as it moves towards its inexorable destination so completely believable. On one level it is the kind of human suffering as old as mankind itself, while also reflecting the consequences as the pitiless expansion of modern global capitalism continues unchecked.Despite being a) Scottish and b) a bit of a buff for independent film, I had never even heard of this film when my 17-year old son & I came across it by accident on BBC late one night. It is a superb piece of work from all concerned and a genuinely moving experience. I can only assume the lack of big studio, big names and big budget (along with a quite forgettable, unhelpful title) conspired to ensure this memorable film didn't get a wider audience or praise. A great shame, but seek it out - you won't be disappointed.

When I saw Gary Lewis playing in the movie I was almost certain that this film is promising a lot. However, I was wrong. Lets start with good things: Excellent acting and camera directing which proves that movie was an art work (not so) long time ago. Everything is so convincing, almost like real. However, film misses a real plot. Simple plot is an idea of a real grandmaster, but it needs developments of characters and/or interaction with another plots. The movie is way too slow for its genre and way too profiled for an art film. Attempt to make a good movie has been lost somewhere on the horizon of the promising film-making. My opinion is that this is a real pity, since most of the people in this film project seems to know their job pretty well.

"True North" is about a fisherman boat, transporting illegal Chinese immigrants from Belgium to Scotland, because they need the money in their desperate situation. This movie is about cruel reality. It is one of those movies, which reminds me, that I live a comfortable live. This movie keeps you mesmerized from the beginning to the end. Throughout the movie my thoughts were "Oh no, please don't let that happen, please not that...", although of course I knew it is unavoidable. Because that is, what the movie is about in the first place. Although there are some moments of relief, beware, the story is desperately unhappy. It leaves a lump in your throat. At the end, when the camera zooms out, a shiver went through my spine and I had tears in my eyes. "True North" accomplishes this not just by storytelling alone. It is perfectly executed. The actors performances are superb, the camera gives you the impression of being on the ship, in the storm, better than for example in "The Perfect Storm". It all feels so real. It is a great movie.

The skipper (Gary Lewis) of the Scottish trawler PD-100 has worked for more than thirty-two years to buy his fishing vessel but is bankrupt and near to lose his ship to the bank. While in the port of Ostend, Belgium, his first mate and son Sean (Martin Compston) accepts a lot of money to smuggle Chinese illegal immigrants to Scotland to keep the trawler with his father. The crewman Riley (Peter Mullan) helps him in the scheme, and they hide the group in a store below the boatswain store. However, a Chinese teenager hides in the engine room, stealing food and leaving money in the galley. The cook (Steven Robertson), who is a little slow and has issues with sex, finds the stowaway (Angel Li) and helps her. Sean decides to stay longer in the North Sea to get catch and avoid problems with customs, leaving the immigrants in the most subhuman conditions. When one of the Chinese dies, despair is triggered leading the crew to tragic actions."True North" is a simple, but very cruel and heartbreaking story of despair and how far a human being can go under the pressure of a desperate situation. None of the characters is evil, but their attitudes under unexpected situation are scary. Sean has no concern with the immigrants, but in finding a way to avoid problems with the coastal authorities; the cold Riley has a touch of humanity with the terrible situation of the stowaways; the cook surprisingly protects the girl; and the captain has the most despicable procedure when he feels that he may lose his ship. The direction and the performances are awesome, and the screenplay is excellent. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Verdadeiro Norte" ("True North")