Jake Dypka directs a stirring portrait of everyday life at an English seaside resort, in his promo for Brighton-based duo Memorial's version of A Hero's Death. Filmed in Skegness on the East of England coast - in and around the local Butlin's holiday resort - and shot in a documentary fashion, a static camera captures snapshots of seaside experiences, framing different characters in their own thought-provoking vignettes. Dypka combines observation of holiday-goers with prosaic still lives, capturing a world that feels as if it has barely changed in decades. Meanwhile, the Memorial duo are lowkey extras on the Crazy Golf range and elsewhere.With lovely cinematography from DoP Arthur Loveday, the approach owes something to the hyperreal aesthetic of Martin Parr, but with much less of the photojournalistic cruelty. Dypka gained the confidence of his subjects, who gave their permission to be filmed, and the result is a magical marriage of craft and naturalistic performance.It stands out as one of the best of its kind in a long time - for a lovely cover of the Fontaines DC song.
Rob Ulitski - 24th June 2021