Terra Nova

Confrontational début by Paul Middleditch about the attempts of a young woman to escape her past and take back her own life. Ruth (a moving role by débutante Jeanette Cronin) flees her dominant family, fearing that her little daughter will be taken away from her. She finds shelter in Terra Nova, an old and derelict boarding house on the coast, where she is looked after by Margie, the landlady. Then she makes the acquaintance of the other guests: the young artist Simon, a schizophrinic neo-nazi and a troubled astrologist, in other words an eccentric collection of mentally disturbed. Ruth steps into a world that is entirely new to her and learnsabout new aspects of herself, as if the inhabitants held a mirror up to her in their wisdom and insanity. In this way the tide starts to turn for Ruth: she finds a job, a new love and a feeling of security. But as the inhabitants of Terra Nova have changed her life, her presence has also been an influence on their lives. The haven they thought was so safe is gradually collapsing under the weight of secrets and conflicts.As a counterpoint to the realistic theme of the film, Middleditch and his cameraman Steve Arnold chose for an exuberant, expressive and often poetic camera style, making effective use of Super-8 material. The use of sound and colour also contributes to the portrayal of the mental state of the characters.