A One Mann’s Movies review of “The North” (2025).
Regular readers will know that amongst all of my reviews for the big blockbusters, I am also a big supporter of new filmmakers and their work. I’m not always kind to that work! But I hope that my feedback on their early steps is at least useful and, in any case, “all publicity is good publicity” right? Case in point, a screener that I was sent for a film called “The North”, created by Dutch film-makers, which is only currently available for rent via the filmmakers web site here.
This is a ‘hiking’ film, which is a coincidence since May and June have seen two other very similar films be released: “Good One“, where the location was the Appalachian mountains, and “The Salt Path“, where the location was England’s South-West Coast Path. In many ways, “The North” manages to merge both the best and the worst parts of each of those films.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“The North” Plot:
Two old friends in their mid-thirties, Chris (Bart Harder) and Lluis (Carles Pulido), set out on a 600 km walk through the Scottish Highlands. They start off happy, content and with a competitive streak for tent-based ‘Uno’. But ultimately, the walk tests their friendship as secrets emerge and they both contemplate where their lives are leading them.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This film has not yet been rated, but I believe it would be rated as a 15/R due to occasional strong language.)
Talent:
Starring: Bart Harder, Carles Pulido, Olly Bassi, John McQuiston.
Directed by: Bart Schrijver.
Written by: Bart Schrijver.
Running Time: 2h 10m.
“The North” Summary:
Positives:
- Beautiful scenery, cleverly shot.
- Two beach scenes in the finale are well done and surprisingly moving.
Negatives:
- Editing! The film massively outstays its welcome.
- Inconsistent acting from the two leads.
- A very light story: very little happens.
Review of “The North”:
A film that celebrates the glorious scenery of Scotland.
First up, this film is a love-letter to the joys of hiking and the wonders of the Scottish countryside. It should be being promoted by the Scottish Tourist Board! We spend copious amounts to time watching Chris and Lluis struggling their way through midge-infested Scottish bogs and struggling up mountain passes. All of this is captured with stunning shots of the landscape by cinematographer Twan Peeters. “The Salt Path” could learn a thing or two from this film since, although I praised The Salt Path’s DP work, “The North” manages to capture the pure majesty of its scenery even more impressively than the more mainstream film. Peeters really does a knockout job, with many great tracking shots of the pair walking along and some clearly extensive walking diversions to capture spectacular shots of them from a distance, silhouetted against the stormy skies.
It is worth remembering that this was not a multi-million pound production where the cast and crew were helicoptered off the fells each morning and evening to stay in nice hotels. The cast and crew actually did walk hundreds of Km, lugging their equipment with them to capture what you see on screen.
Nothing much happens.
Before I came up with my pun-tastic Euro-themed review title (thank-you, thank-you, I’m here all week!) I was intending to call this review “Nothing Happens… Beautifully… Again” as a nod to my earlier review for the film “Good One“. For although the scenery in India Donaldson’s new film is gorgeous, and the hiking scenes are well-done, very little happens in the film. I had the same issue with “The North”. We get glimpses into the lives of these two random men, who both seem to be going through rather early mid-life crises, but very little actually happens.
10cc in their hit “The thing we do for love” sang that “Communication is the problem to be answered” and you feel that in spades with the relationship of Chris and Lluis. If this was two women doing the walk, then before they got through the first night they would have compared notes on the lifestyle of every member of their family; shared cooking tips; their husband’s favourite sex moves; how hot or otherwise Keanu Reeves is; what’s the best way to grow marigolds and umpteen other topics. But put two typical men together and we might get as far as the current state of the Premier League and whether mole wrenches or adjustable spanners are the most useful. The same is true for Chris and Lluis. Jeez, you just want to bang their heads together! Even when there is clearly a lot to say, they say nothing! Every time they stop and sit on a rock, you are expecting Chris to say “Hey Lluis, about that cancer thing”. But no! It makes you want to scream!
It outstays its welcome.
The lack of story plot-points and the lack of much dynamic interchange between the characters would have been much less of a problem if the film had been edited down to 90 (or even 80) minutes. But, no – the film runs to 130 minutes featuring shot after scenic shot of either Chris or Lluis or both of them trudging along the trail. As I’ve already stated, these shots are magnificent. But there are just far too many of them and the editor, Gijs Walstra, should have reminded director Bart Schrijver that he was making a feature film – not a Michael Palin travelogue – and bullied him into taking a sharp knife to 40 minutes of his footage.
Acting is hard.
I’m not sure whether anyone has said this before… but as someone who has had some limited acting experience himself, a quote that should apply to professional acting is:
“Doing nothing is really hard”. (c) RJ Mann, 2025.
If I look back at my own feeble attempts in student films, the bits that make my most uncomfortable are not the scenes of confrontation or emotion but the scenes where I am not doing much at all. For example, in the short film “John” (dir. Sam Morrison), the bit that makes me squirm the most is the opening scene where I am ‘nonchalantly’ strolling along a corridor. As Han Solo says in “Star Wars: A New Hope”: “Keep your distance, though, Chewie, but don’t look like you’re trying to keeping your distance…. I don’t know… Fly casual!”. Or, as I say, “Doing nothing is really hard”!
In this vein, I sympathised with the actors Bart Harder and Carles Pulid in the film’s opening scenes, as they set out from Milngavie on the West Highland Way since, for me, everything they did had that sense of ‘falseness’ about it. The glances at each other. Even the way they actually strolled along. It all seemed forced and unnatural. As if they were being filmed. Which of course they were!
Fortunately, there’s nothing like practise to get acting right and the pair noticeably get so much better at their craft as the film progresses. This ends with two separate and individual meltdowns on beaches in the final reel where both actors really deliver the goods. Both scenes are moving in their own way; well-filmed, well-acted and both leave you as the viewer to interpret exactly what they mean.
There’s also a nice naturalistic cameo by John McQuiston playing Jack – a retired guy with regrets who reflects on what the rat race was really all about… which I can relate to.
Summary Thoughts on “The North”
If you want to spend two hours in the company of some breath-taking scenery in Scotland, then this is the movie for you! It’s like the northern, midge-infested version of “The Salt Path“…. and that got enough people wanting to watch it. However, I found the story to be slight and only spasmodically engaging for a film of this length. Edit it down to 90 minutes and I would raise my rating. But it still has something… a wild, ethereal and slightly mystical quality that I enjoyed.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
This film currently doesn’t appear on the Justwatch database. It is available to stream directly from the filmmaker’s web site (for a fee) here.
Trailer for “The North”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SG46PKUCfQ.
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