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Two Years at Sea

Play trailer Poster for Two Years at Sea 2011 1h 27m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 14 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A man happily lives out his dream of living in isolation in a forest.

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Two Years at Sea

Critics Reviews

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Noel Murray The Dissolve Rivers' use of older camera equipment gives Two Years At Sea the look of an old piece of film that's been left behind by a long-gone civilization, capturing the last man on Earth, and showing how he made use of all the old junk society left behind. Rated: 4/5 Aug 6, 2013 Full Review Ben Sachs Chicago Reader The first feature-length effort by noted experimental filmmaker Ben Rivers demonstrates such mastery of the image that it's worth seeing for the textures alone. Nov 21, 2012 Full Review Nick Pinkerton Village Voice The imagery has all the solemn ravishment of Bla Tarr's similarly darkening The Turin Horse with none of the epochal portentousness, while Rivers's work owes more to Billy Bitzer than most gallery art contemporaries. Oct 16, 2012 Full Review Dustin Chang Floating World I wanted to know more about this Jake Williams (we only get to know his name at the end credits). There is no hint of loneliness in Williams' life. As the film's only inhabitant, Williams seems to be in complete ease at being alone. Feb 28, 2021 Full Review Jordan M. Smith IONCINEMA.com Give meaning to the meaningless and celebrate the novelty of it all. For Williams, Rivers, and their trusting DIY collaboration in Two Years At Sea, nature is the best place for this to occur, and it does so with unyielding, introspective beauty. Nov 12, 2020 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Fascinating study of a self-sufficient man living with nature somewhere in the wilds of the Aberdeenshire forest. Rated: A- Aug 14, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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raphael g I fell asleep at some point because I was high, but I liked it. Will revisit it again. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member An artistic window on the world, possibly more of an art-house film than a documentary. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Not really a review but, well, it's mesmerizing. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Shot on 16mm film then transferred to 35mm for presentation, the film celebrates all the weaknesses of film stock while rarely displaying its strengths. The long takes of a man living alone and isolated (except for the cameraman and whatever crew accompanied him, of course) are often intriguing, sometimes beautiful, and regularly challenging of the patience. Some will find it rewarding and worthwhile, others won't. I'm on the fence. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, this, but those with some patience and an open mind may well find some pleasures in this little "slow cinema" gem. Artist Ben Rivers returns to the subject of an early short film, Scot Jake Williams, a man who appears to live a solitary, self-sufficient life somewhere in the Scottish highlands who amuses himself by, basically, pottering about, tinkering with the many objects scattered around his rundown homestead. From the absurd, elevating a caravan into a tree as a surreal treehouse, the practical, fixing a roof or welding a battered 4x4 to the sublime, a solo jam session on a mandolin proving him to be a talented musician. The aesthetic of the film matches the mood perfectly, the home developed 16mm matching both the tattiness of Jake's surroundings but also the make-do ingenuity of Jake's tinkering. Rivers also proves a real talent with visuals, from a hilarious piece of film frame interaction when Jake's fishing raft threatens to float offscreen to the enigmatic slow fireside fade on Jake's face to finish the film. The behind the scenes story shows there was a large element of performance, and far less isolation than we may expect, which to me further enhances both Jake and the director's playful, unique characters. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Two Years at Sea

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Cast & Crew

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Ben Rivers

Director

Jake Williams

Self

Ben Rivers

Writer
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Two Years at Sea

Two Years at Sea (2011) Two Years at Sea (2011) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A man happily lives out his dream of living in isolation in a forest.
Director
Ben Rivers
Screenwriter
Ben Rivers
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 17, 2020
Runtime
1h 27m
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