AllMovie

Using old 16mm cameras, artist Ben Rivers creates work from stories of real people, often those who have disconnected from the normal world and taken themselves into wilderness territories. TWO YEARS AT SEA won a prize at the Venice Film Festival, and was TimeOut's number one pick of the London Film Festival. The title refers to the work Jake did in order to finance his chosen state of existence. The film extends Ben's relationship with Jake, a man first encountered in his short film THIS IS MY LAND. He lives alone in a ramshackle house, in the middle of the forest. It's full of stuff that might come in useful someday. Jake has a tremendous sense of purpose as he works around the house and surrounding forest and moorland. Rivers' witty and gracefully-constructed film creates an intimate connection with an individual who might otherwise be hard to get to know if we met him face-to-face.