The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford

Peter Mullan gives a brilliant, bittersweet performance in Seán Dunn’s feature debut, a black comedy about ageing, identity and the grey area between history and fantasy.

Local historian and widower Kenneth (Mullan) works in Arberloch visitor centre as a guide, dressing up as the town’s most notable historical figure, Sir Douglas Weatherford, an 18th century philosopher and inventor who Kenneth proudly claims as his ancestor.

But when the village becomes the base of a big-budget fantasy TV show, Weatherford becomes a triviality. As the show’s cosplaying fans descend on the town and the traditions Kenneth holds dear are casually dismissed, his sanity crumbles – and his crisis takes an even darker turn when he becomes fixated on the show’s handsome star, Oscar Sorenson (Jakob Oftebro).