Co-presented by Los Angeles Filmforum*
Bogancloch is where modern day hermit Jake Williams lives, nestled in a vast highland forest of Scotland. The film portrays his life throughout the seasons, with other people occasionally crossing into his otherwise solitary life. At the heart a song, an argument between life and death, each stating their case to rule over the world. The film is without exposition, it aims at something less recognisable, to a different existence of reality observed in discrete moments. A sequel to Two Years At Sea (2011), charting a subtly changing life in a radically changing world.
Copies of the visual novel Urthworks (Mack, 2025) will be available to purchase at the screening.
TRT: 86 min
In person: Ben Rivers
*Filmforum members can reserve free tickets here.
"An intimate work of watchful observation and a carefully composed reverie on time's passage." —Kevin Harley, Radio Times
"A contemplative curio that gets across that Williams himself leads a liminal life on the edge of society but not entirely separate from it." —Leslie Felperin, The Guardiam
"Every frame of Bogancloch is treated as a work of art and the viewer is given ample time to relish the beauty of the framing, lighting and composition." —Sarah Kent, The Arts Desk
"Entrancing... Like the best cinema, the films of Ben Rivers immerse us in stories that aren’t as interested in solving enigmas as letting us luxuriate in them." —Leonardo Goi, The Film Stage
"It’s refreshing that Rivers and Williams have an understanding that, just because the camera is pointing at you, it doesn’t mean you need to narrate your actions and speak to the audience down the lens." —David Jenkins, Little White Lies
(Available to download after screening date)