--- title: "Bait: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/bait/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/bait" critics_score: 86 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Bait (2019): what the critics said Critics' score 86 from 11 reviews: 11 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The consensus on Bait is strongly positive, with all eleven reviews praising its account of class friction in a Cornish fishing village. Praise centres on Jenkin’s hand-crafted black-and-white 16mm images, fractured editing and post-synchronised sound. Most critics see these techniques as closely tied to the story’s displacement and misunderstandings, rather than as decoration. The reviews also value its treatment of gentrification, while Time Out singles out Edward Rowe’s performance for its humanity. The differences are chiefly matters of emphasis and enthusiasm: the supplied reviews contain no recurring reservation or negative dissent. Some stress the unsettling atmosphere and experimental filmmaking; others find comedy, social observation and solid storytelling beneath the scratched images. Variety particularly praises the refusal to simplify community tensions. Ratings range from measured approval to full marks, but the shared judgement is that the unusual technique serves a recognisable, contemporary conflict. ## Empire — Sophie Monks Kaufman Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 2019. The critic calls Bait a triumph that illuminates social rifts through a Cornish fishing community's tensions with gentrifying outsiders. Jenkin's distinctive 16mm black-and-white technique and post-synced sound create an immersive, tactile atmosphere that blends comedy, humanity and timely themes into a timeless work of art. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bait/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 February 2019. Festival review. The critic notes the film's nostalgic yet contemporary take on Cornish communities under threat, praising the ravishing cinema and the unusual meeting of form and social context. It mentions the atmospheric black-and-white images and the sense of rediscovered tragedy. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/bait-berlin-review/5136502.article) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2019. Jenkin’s breakthrough is a richly textured, rough-hewn gem in which form and content combine perfectly, an authentic portrait of tensions between locals and tourists in a Cornish fishing village. The post-synched sound and hand-processed 16mm visuals create a dreamlike, disorienting effect that underscores themes of misunderstanding and displacement. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/01/bait-review-mark-jenkin-cornish-fishing-village) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Stephen Dalton Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 February 2019. Festival review. The critic praises the film's lo-fi monochrome 16mm aesthetic and experimental style as one of the most original works at Berlin. It singles out the director's use of montage, retro pastiche, and folk-horror elements to explore class tensions in a Cornish fishing village. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/bait-review-1188293/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 29 August 2019. This Cornish-set drama unfolds in scratchy monochrome with jumpy shots, delivering solid storytelling alongside captivating silvery images from hand-cracked 16mm film and DIY development. The result is a beguiling, otherworldly atmosphere perfectly suited to its theme of displacement. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/business/companies-markets/article/bait-review-captivating-images-forge-otherworldy-atmosphere-dn5k6fptv) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 20 August 2019. The review calls it a brilliantly original seaside parable and a quietly thrilling piece of filmmaking with a brooding atmosphere. It singles out the human performance from Edward Rowe and the deeper currents of gentrification and class friction. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/bait) ## Variety — Jessica Kiang Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 February 2019. Festival review. The critic finds the film's archaic 16mm black-and-white style an engaging, hand-crafted experiment that heightens its story of a Cornish fishing village facing gentrification and the clash between tradition and modernity. She singles out the nuanced, non-simplistic observations of community tensions and the striking, simple imagery for praise. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/bait-review-1203137995/) ## Sight and Sound — Ian Mantgani Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2019. Festival review. The critic praises the film's unique, hand-crafted style and its exploration of social tensions in a Cornish fishing village through a grubbily powerful study of fear and loathing. It highlights the original filmmaking that blends various genres into something distinctive. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/bait-first-look-mark-jenkin-heralds-new-weird-britain) ## HeyUGuys — Linda Marric Rating 5/5. 30 August 2019. The critic praises the film's unique 16mm visual style and original storytelling about class conflict in a Cornish fishing village, highlighting its mesmerizing and unsettling aesthetic. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/bait-review/) ## Eye for Film — Andrew Robertson Rating 4.5/5. 21 June 2019. Festival review. The critic lauds the film's astonishing cinematic qualities, blending nostalgia with modern elements through its 16mm black-and-white cinematography and authentic portrayal of Cornish life and class tensions. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/bait-2019-film-review-by-andrew-robertson) ## The Skinny — Jamie Dunn Rating ★★★★. 24 June 2019. Festival review. The critic praises Jenkin's innovative hand-shot and edited 16mm black-and-white melodrama for capturing class tensions and gentrification in a Cornish fishing village through striking sound design and Eisenstein-like juxtapositions. They single out the battered, decayed aesthetic and fractured editing as a triumph of old-school technique applied to timely social issues, calling it the UK's first Brexit movie. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/bait) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/bait.md