Third Star
Encyclopedia
Third Star is a 2010 British comedy-drama
film directed by Hattie Dalton and starring Benedict Cumberbatch
, J. J. Feild, Tom Burke
, Adam Robertson, and Hugh Bonneville
. It premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival in June 2010, where it was shown as the closing film, and was released in the United Kingdom on 20 May 2011.
. At his request, his three friends - Davy, Bill and Miles - organize a final camping trip to his favorite beach at Barafundle Bay, on the Pembrokeshire
coast. In chronic pain, James cannot walk unaided and chugs liquid morphine
. He appears to be losing his perception of reality, implied by the fading in and out of the camera and repeated visions of a shadowy figure standing on a twilight beach. His friends, however, are burdened with their own personal and material demons, believe the journey to be nothing more than one last fun hike.
Traveling the over rugged and isolated coastal terrain, the men are faced with a series of accidents and set-backs - including the loss of their cart and supplies - that sorely test their commitment to getting James to where he wants to be. James, however, insists that they continue.
Weary, they rapidly lose patience and sympathy for each other and for James, who has grown increasingly bitter and needs to be carried. When they finally reach Barafundle Bay, James admits the true purpose of the trip: he plans to drown himself in the sea the next morning. Initially the friends reject the plan and the idea of having anything to do with it. However, after accidentally losing James' morphine supply and watching him struggle with crippling pain and withdrawal, they decide to help him and claim that they found James dead upon waking up.
James swims out to sea by himself initially, but Davy, Miles and Bill soon join him. Bill and Davy turn back after a few metres and watch from the shore as Miles helps James drown himself. Miles and the others carry James' body to the shore, and a voiceover from James explains that his life was happy and that's how he'd like to be remembered.
s Philip French
called the film "competent", though "rather familiar and predictable, though not dislikable". The Santa Monica Daily Press
s Cynthia Citron called it "an absorbing, moving, and captivating experience". The Guardian
s Phelim O'Neill described it as "picaresque and directionless for quite some time, only falling into focus in the final furlong".
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film directed by Hattie Dalton and starring Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch is an English film, television, and theatre actor. His most acclaimed roles include Stephen Hawking in the BBC drama Hawking ; William Pitt in the historical film Amazing Grace ; the protagonist Stephen Ezard in the miniseries thriller The Last Enemy ; Paul...
, J. J. Feild, Tom Burke
Tom Burke (actor)
Tom Liam Benedict Burke is an English actor.-Early life:Born on 30 June 1981; Kent, England), he is the son of actor David Burke and actress Anna Calder-Marshall...
, Adam Robertson, and Hugh Bonneville
Hugh Bonneville
Hugh Richard Bonneville Williams, known professionally as Hugh Bonneville , is an English stage, film, television and radio actor.-Education:...
. It premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival in June 2010, where it was shown as the closing film, and was released in the United Kingdom on 20 May 2011.
Plot
The film stars Cumberbatch as James, a young man terminally ill with cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. At his request, his three friends - Davy, Bill and Miles - organize a final camping trip to his favorite beach at Barafundle Bay, on the Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
coast. In chronic pain, James cannot walk unaided and chugs liquid morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
. He appears to be losing his perception of reality, implied by the fading in and out of the camera and repeated visions of a shadowy figure standing on a twilight beach. His friends, however, are burdened with their own personal and material demons, believe the journey to be nothing more than one last fun hike.
Traveling the over rugged and isolated coastal terrain, the men are faced with a series of accidents and set-backs - including the loss of their cart and supplies - that sorely test their commitment to getting James to where he wants to be. James, however, insists that they continue.
Weary, they rapidly lose patience and sympathy for each other and for James, who has grown increasingly bitter and needs to be carried. When they finally reach Barafundle Bay, James admits the true purpose of the trip: he plans to drown himself in the sea the next morning. Initially the friends reject the plan and the idea of having anything to do with it. However, after accidentally losing James' morphine supply and watching him struggle with crippling pain and withdrawal, they decide to help him and claim that they found James dead upon waking up.
James swims out to sea by himself initially, but Davy, Miles and Bill soon join him. Bill and Davy turn back after a few metres and watch from the shore as Miles helps James drown himself. Miles and the others carry James' body to the shore, and a voiceover from James explains that his life was happy and that's how he'd like to be remembered.
Cast
- Benedict CumberbatchBenedict CumberbatchBenedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch is an English film, television, and theatre actor. His most acclaimed roles include Stephen Hawking in the BBC drama Hawking ; William Pitt in the historical film Amazing Grace ; the protagonist Stephen Ezard in the miniseries thriller The Last Enemy ; Paul...
as James - Tom BurkeTom Burke (actor)Tom Liam Benedict Burke is an English actor.-Early life:Born on 30 June 1981; Kent, England), he is the son of actor David Burke and actress Anna Calder-Marshall...
as Davy - J. J. Feild as Miles
- Adam Robertson as Bill
- Hugh BonnevilleHugh BonnevilleHugh Richard Bonneville Williams, known professionally as Hugh Bonneville , is an English stage, film, television and radio actor.-Education:...
as the beachcomber
Reception
The ObserverThe Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
s Philip French
Philip French
Philip French is a British film critic and former radio producer.French, the son of an insurance salesman, was educated at the direct grant Bristol Grammar School, read Law at Oxford University. and post graduate study in Journalism at Indiana University, Bloomington on a scholarship.He has been...
called the film "competent", though "rather familiar and predictable, though not dislikable". The Santa Monica Daily Press
Santa Monica Daily Press
-History:The Santa Monica Daily Press is a freely distributed microdaily newspaper in Santa Monica which was founded in 2001 by Dave Danforth, Carolyn Sackariason, and Ross Furukawa. The Santa Monica Daily Press is the only local daily newspaper in circulation in Santa Monica, California...
s Cynthia Citron called it "an absorbing, moving, and captivating experience". The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s Phelim O'Neill described it as "picaresque and directionless for quite some time, only falling into focus in the final furlong".