Rose of Nevada (2026)

Here’s a scary time travel scenario.

Imagine turning a corner and suddenly finding yourself in the exact same place, but 33 years in the past.

What would you do? Would you try connecting with people you knew back then? Would you try connecting with the people you meet later in life? Would either choice even be possible? What If you weren’t even alive 33 years ago?

This is the premise of Rose of Nevada, a very disturbing film about two young fisherman who set sail from a sleepy Cornwall village in 2026 and when they return to shore, hours later, it’s 1993.

Rose of Nevada is written and directed by Mark Jenkin1. Jenkin is obsessed with practical effects and analogue filmmaking. He shot this movie entirely on 35mm film stock.2 The footage is grainy, dark and even has those ‘cigarette burns’ that signify it’s time for the projectionist to change the reel.

Why Jenkin made this choice becomes clear later on but it initially makes Rose of Nevada look like an old movie, in a bad way. If you started watching this on TV, it might be challenging to get past the first 15 minutes.

Fortunately, I saw it on the big screen, because I’m currently on Day 5 of the “12-Days-No-Odyssey-Challenge”, where, for 12 days3, I visit the local multiplex and watch anything other than Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey4. Which, I realize, is my project, my problem, and completely besides the point to everyone reading this. None of you are going to make the effort to see Rose of Nevada just because there’s no cyclops in it. You’ll only make that effort if it’s actually worth watching.

Is it?

The Plot: Sometime in 2026, a derelict ship drifts into the harbour of a sleepy Cornish fishing village. It’s pretty big news because this particular boat, the Rose of Nevada, went missing in 1993 with all crew aboard.

There is no sign of the crew, but the ship is in excellent condition and very quickly put back into service. Which is great news for Nick (George MacKay) an unemployed fisherman with a young daughter he can barely support. He eagerly takes a job aboard the Rose of Nevada.

But as he heads to port, he has a bizarre encounter with Mrs. Richards (Mary Woodvine), his senile neighbor who mistakes him for her son, Luke, who jumped off a cliff, 33 years ago. Nick gently guides her back indoors and resumes his journey.

The boat Captain is Murgey (Francis Magee), who speaks in a strange antiquated way that suggests he’s somehow much, much older than he appears.5 The only other fisherman willing to work on the Rose of Nevada is Liam (Callum Turner) an alcoholic who has recently slid into homelessness.

The expedition goes well, George, Liam and Murgey catch an abundance of seafood, more than has been caught for decades in these overfished waters6

When they return to shore, Murgey gives George and Liam a cash advance and they both eagerly head to the pub. But Liam doesn’t even make it through the door before he’s accosted by Tina (Rosalind Eleazar) who seems to think Liam’s name is Allan and that he’s her husband. Tina is adamant, that “Allan” stop wasting his money at pubs and come home at once.

George tries to intervene, but Liam stops him. He currently has nowhere to stay and finds Tina attractive, so he decides to just see where this misunderstanding takes him.

So George winds up in the pub by himself and that’s when he suddenly realizes he’s not in the 21st century anymore. Terrified, he races home only to discover that his apartment hasn’t even been built yet. Then he runs into Mrs. Richards, who is 33 years younger and no longer senile, but still convinced Nick is her son, Luke. Nick angrily tells her off, which quickly summons Mr. Richards (Adrian Rawlins), who also believes Nick is his son.

Nick races back to the boat and confronts Murgey, who initially pretends to have no idea what Nick’s talking about. He eventually admits to being aware of the time travel, but also to having no idea what caused it and how or even if it can be undone.

The following day, Liam reports to work and the Rose of Nevada ships out. Nick is hopeful that when the boat returns to port it will be 2026 again, but it isn’t and for a second night Nick is stuck in a world before he was born, where everyone thinks he’s somebody else.

Liam doesn’t seem bothered at all. “What’s wrong with you, screams Nick, she thinks you’re someone else!” Liam simply shrugs and says “I am someone else.”

If you’re thinking this movie might be the British version of Back to the Future, you aren’t completely wrong. But there are no McGuffins, ‘no ‘flex capacitors” or “Doc Browns” that can potentially undo the situation. Not only is Nick stuck in the past, he’s stuck being another person and his only way out is to jump off a cliff like the original Luke did.

Is Rose of Nevada worth seeing? I think so. If you like time travel stories, particularly those with a Black Mirror/Twilight Zone tone, you will love this movie.

I rarely care when a movie is shot in an unusual format. I’m sure VistaVision added something to Bugonia and Wuthering Heights, but both films would have been just fine had they been shot digitally. I love all of Robert Egger’s movies but I like them for the stories and performances, I don’t give a toss about those obscure aspect ratios.

I’m only bringing this up because the 35mm cinematography actually does make Rose of Nevada a better experience. It makes Nick’s imprisonment in the past feel a lot more real and a lot more confining. There’s also a scene in this movie where the ship encounters a storm that was shot entirely with practical effects. It’s an overwhelmingly disturbing experience and I have no idea how George MacKay and Callum Turner7 survived it.

I will end things, saying that Rose of Nevada is not an entirely a bleak experience. Mark Jenkins was recently asked if this is a ‘hopeful’ film and he said yes.

And he’s right. Even if it doesn’t seem that way for a while.

Tomorrow: Day 6 of the 12-Days-No-Odyssey-experience: Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass!