It makes no sense when a movie spoils itself through its own marketing. The central relationship in Washed Up has a twist that you probably haven’t been able to avoid! This is a giant mistake, because most of the humour and a great deal of the charm comes in how this delightful little movie pulls off some big surprises with its small-change budget. The supernatural twist is not only possible but plausible, and the fact we have to use our imaginations to help that out makes the experience of watching Washed Up an unusually good time.
Morwenna, whose nickname is Scummy (Anna Ivankovic) lives in a beach village in Cornwall, aka the same part of the UK as Rose of Nevada, a former fishing area now an outdoor tourist trap. Hardly anyone in their twenties remains because of the lack of jobs and affordable housing. Morwenna is an illustrator, which means she makes her money as a small-time dealer, and lives hand-to-mouth in her late grandfather’s house which her cousin Connor (Sam Hunter) is trying to flip. Morwenna uses her online Cornish classes as therapy – this is one of the very few full-length movies yet made to feature the Cornish language! – and spends a lot of time hanging out with her grandfather’s ex Crystal (Anna Liddell), a scatty tarot reader also worried about her future. So when, one night on the beach, an odd young woman in a fur coat named Inga (Carys Glynne, who also produced) introduces herself to Morwenna, it’s an enormous opportunity. Someone her own age to hang out with! Someone with serious girlfriend potential! But there is that major plot twist which means a relationship with Inga will be anything but straightforward.
Writer Issy Brett and director Isabel Daly correctly decided a handmade charm was enough for Washed Up to spark an inordinate amount of joy. Many of the plot points are emphasised with hand-drawn illustrations to heighten the feelings, and Inga keeps in touch with her cousin Jocasta (Sally Geake) through postcards. All the stylised bits work because they are so preposterous, and somehow more believable than spending millions on shonky VFX work while a thousand times more fun. For just one example, some clever split-screen camera work makes Inga’s forthright attitude to her relationships perfectly and charmingly clear. Morwenna and Inga bond over a love of a movie franchise that is not The Fast and The Furious, do some absolutely terrible cooking together, and clearly are red-hot in bed. And yet Morwenna is less sure of herself – seeing rich outsiders claiming all the best local things for themselves can do that to a person – and when she makes a bad mistake there’s some sympathy for her justifications.
They don’t excuse it of course, and it’s a delight to see Washed Up refuse to let Morwenna off that hook. Ms. Glynne has a wonderful time as a young woman who will never perfectly blend in and therefore doesn’t even try, while Ms. Ivankovic manages to make someone stuck in a rut very sympathetic. Ms. Liddell expertly depicts a type not often treated with such respect, and does so with hair hanging down to her backside, an even rarer sight. By the end of the film everyone in the BFI Flare crowd was beaming with joy, a highly unusual experience. The whole experience of Washed Up is just delightful, and whether you like indigenous film, lesbian film, or the supernatural, you absolutely mustn’t miss it. It’s the perfect example of how creativity and enthusiasm matters more than a budget.
Washed Up recently played at BFI Flare.
Learn more about the film at the IMDB site for the title.
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