Black Mountain Poets

Two sisters, Lisa and Claire (played by Alice Lowe and Dolly Wells) go on the run after being caught trying to steal a JCB. Assuming the identities of the owners of their stolen escape vehicle, the con-artists become The Wilding Sisters, guest stars of the Poet’s Poetry Society retreat in the heart of the Black Mountains. Both women are neurotic and troubled in their own way and they believe it will be easy at first to step into the shoes of the famous poets but they soon realise that it may be more difficult than they think. Firstly they don’t count on the presence of Tom Cullen's handsome poet Richard and his jealous girlfriend Louise played by Rosa Robson. Tensions rise and as they consider quitting they discover there is a large cash prize for the best poem as the end of the week so decide to stay and win the dosh.

This film begins as a comedy but as it progresses it becomes more of a drama about people's needs and how they view themselves once away from their usual lives. Alice Lowe and Dolly Wells are great as the sisters and very funny in parts but the film began to drag when the protaganists attempt to find themselves and once the love interest turns up it becomes a tad soppy and dull towards the end. It looks lovely however, with the beautiful black mountains as a foggy backdrop and the script is well done by the director Jamie Adams, yet the humour gets milder as it continues and there is a nagging feeling that this could have been an excellent comedy rather than a sweet drama.

The sisters background is too vague to care enough about, as are their problems and relationship but the strong performances from all concerned carry the film through. One standout scene shows Lisa put on the spot to perform one of her poems to which she responds by reading out a till receipt but this is one of the few times poetry is made fun of and it felt like a missed opportunity for some good natured teasing on the tropes of poets and poetry. This is essentially a Sunday film with a few laughs and something you might find at a weird time on Film4 and thoroughly enjoy. So if you like poetry, the countryside and a bit of a laugh then the Black Mountain Poets just might be up your mountain.