OUT THERE [12+]

Several years have passed since her father’s death, but she is still struggling to come to terms with the loss. When a mysterious object appears in the sky, old questions resurface, and Maz begins searching for answers on her own.
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Simon Ryninks makes his feature debut in a place with its own history of meeting the unexplained. Welsh UFO folklore is shaped by decades of stories about mysterious lights, strange sightings and military secrets, with the wave of reports from Pembrokeshire in the 1970s holding a particular place in local legend.

Ryninks, however, is less interested in aliens than in the people who keep looking up at the sky. The idea for the film grew out of his own experience of grief.  It is a well-known way of dealing with loss: a fascination with the unexplained arises from the need to find meaning when it is hard to come to terms with reality.

The film remains light on its feet, blending coming-of-age drama with touches of science fiction, conspiracy theory and small-town eccentricity. The rugged coastline, a local ufologist, an eccentric medium, smoky pubs and the analogue texture of late-1990s life all help shape its distinctive atmosphere. Nerys Amber Stocks brings an affecting honesty to the lead role. Aneurin Barnard, Michael Sheen and Iwan Rheon clearly relish their place among the film’s colourful local characters.

OUT THERE remains a modest, intimate story about growing up, family, friendship and learning to live with what cannot be changed. Ryninks handles it all with warmth and humour, grounding the film firmly in its local Welsh setting.

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Text: Maria Nowicka