Official synopsis
Three decades ago, the Rose of Nevada vanished at sea, along with its crew. Now, it has returned. In a remote fishing village, its reappearance is embraced as an auspicious sign, with the local citizens convinced the luck of their economically devastated community may turn, if only the ship sails again. Joining the crew is Nick (George MacKay), desperate to provide for his young family, and Liam (Callum Turner), a mysterious drifter eager to escape his past. After a successful voyage, they return to harbor, only to find that nothing is as they remember it.
Review
Filmmaker Mark Jenkin is masterful at crafting haunting dramas with eerie genre-film elements shot and set in and around England’s coastal Cornwall area. He follows up his 2022 psychological horror Enys Men (reviewed here) with the gripping time-slip mindbender Rose of Nevada.
As mentioned in the official synopsis above, the unexplained sudden reappearance of a fishing boat that was presumed lost in 1993 gives new hope to members of a fishing community. When Nick and Liam join on as fishermen, they find the lives they left behind to be altered greatly on their return. I won’t reveal more so as to avoid spoilers. Suffice it to say that the pair find themselves in a situation akin to events found in the classic The Twilight Zone series.
Jenkin wrote, directed, shot, and scored Rose of Nevada himself, and did a fine job in each department. Shot on 16mm, the aesthetic of the film is reminiscent of both 1970s British television horror and drama outings. There’s an enigmatic aura throughout, and the fittingly creepy score adds greatly to the proceedings.
MacKay and Turner head up a terrific ensemble cast. The performances alone are worth giving Rose of Nevada a watch, although the hypnotic film boasts plenty of other reasons to do so, as well.
Rose of Nevada opened in New York and Los Angeles on June 19, 2026.
