On his way up to the Isle of Skye, Charlie (Mackenzie) picks up Spanish hitchhiker Vincent (Philips) who’s desperate to head as far north as he can. It’s an uneasy pairing from the start. Tightly wound Vincent’s accent suddenly disappears as he reveals that he’s a gigolo on the run from a local mobster (his crime: shagging the mobster’s Mrs), while Charlie admits that his mission north of the border is to burn down his ex-wife’s lover’s house. With a setup like that, you know it’s not going to end well. Having arrived in the highlands of Scotland (via a close call at an airfield with a couple of the mobster’s thugs), the duo promptly run out of petrol and seem to be stranded in the middle of nowhere. And that’s when they happen across Moore Lodge, Wilderness Retreat, the sign of which reads ‘Leave Your Troubles Behind’. Fat chance. What they’re expecting is a guesthouse. What they find is a self-help halfway house for people with various ‘issues’ ranging from sex addiction to paedophilia, all of whom have formed to create a tight-knit ‘family’ that is as unorthodox as it is unsettling. As Charlie and Vincent find themselves drawn into the mix, relationships are made and broken, while one of their pasts threatens to catch up with them when they least expect it. 

Starring:
Alastair Mackenzie, Jonathan Phillips, Ewan Stewart, David Hayman, Victoria Smurfit, Louise Irwin,

Director:
David Mackenzie

Run Time:
95 min

Genre:
Thrillers

Languages:
English

Released:
2002