A backwater of production for decades, today the film and TV industry in Wales is thriving, thanks to a slew of high-profile successes over the past decade. Global brands such as those of the BBC Doctor who and Are dark materials are made in the country’s capital, Cardiff. Wales has also carved out a substantial niche for itself in thrillers and crime series, with bilingual Welsh-English crime procedurals such as Hinterland/Y Gwyll and Keeping the Faith/Unbored Merccher making distinctive new contributions to the “Celtic noir” genre.
Given this backdrop, it’s no surprise that the burgeoning industry has captured the attention of Hollywood’s best and brightest. Aside from Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s popular FX docuseries about the fluctuating fortunes of Wrexham Football Club, Welcome to Wrexham (a second season is currently in production), starring Elijah Wood, Avengers: endgame star James D’Arcy and Academy Award winner Judi Dench have all starred in Welsh-produced feature films in recent years.
The latest A-lister to follow the same route is Rebel Wilson, whose latest film, The almond and the seahorse, was filmed largely in and around Wrexham and is due out next month. Here’s what we know.
The almond and the seahorse: the plot
Sarah is an archaeologist who is married to Joe, but two years ago Joe had an accident that left him with chronic amnesia. Joe’s injury is unable to remember events consistently and results in violent mood swings. Meanwhile, Toni, an architect, is in a relationship with her partner, Gwen, who also suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident and finds herself reliving the same period in her life over and over.
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The two couples are brought together by Dr. Farmer, a specialist who wants to know more about Joe and Gwen’s condition. As their stories unfold, their partners discover they have more in common than they thought possible. A thoughtful meditation on the issues of memory and loss, The almond and the seahorse pushes hard on how those closest to traumatic brain injury patients cope with the chastened personal circumstances that chronic illness brings.
The almond and the seahorse: the cast
For budding directors, Celyn Jones and Tom Stern have amassed a very impressive arsenal of acting talent. Playing against type in the lead role of Sarah is Rebel Wilson in her first dramatic role in the film. After the critical failures of Cats (2019), in which she starred as Jennyanydots, and comedy con artist film The hassle (2019), in which she shared the lead role with Anne Hathaway, Wilson enjoyed a return to form with the Netflix comedy Last year in spring.
Toni’s role is played by Charlotte Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg has fluttered back and forth between French cinema and the lake in recent years Outside parts of Hollywood, including twists and turns in Reed Morano’s post-apocalyptic romance I think we’re alone now (2018) and last year’s French-language courtroom drama The accusation. Her next film, the period gothic horror The light blue eyealso stars Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Gillian Anderson and Timothy Spall and premieres next month.
Toni’s amnesiac partner Gwen is played by Trine Dyrholm. Dyrholm, a highly acclaimed actress in her native Denmark and winner of the Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear for Best Actress, is currently at the pinnacle of her career thanks to her outstanding work starring in last year’s medieval epic, Margrete: Queen of the North opposite Soren Malling (Domino) and Magnus Krepper (The girl who played with fire).
In supporting roles are Meera Syal (Yesterday, The Sandman); Alice Lowe (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Dark Place by Garth Marenghi); Ruth Madeley (Brexit: the civil war); and up-and-coming stage actor Patrick Elue in his first full-length film role.
Helmets The almond and the seahorse are the directors Celyn Jones and Tom Stern. Jones got his big break opposite Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 Emmy award-winning miniseries Shackleton, who plays Perce Blackborow, the real-life Welsh stowaway who accompanied the polar explorer on his ill-fated journey to Antarctica. Jones has since moved into screenwriting; his most recent credit is the 2020 war espionage drama Six minutes to midnight alongside Downton Abbey director Andy Goddard and Eddie Izzard. The almond and the seahorse is his feature film debut, and Jones also stars alongside Wilson as Joe.
Tom Stern is an Academy Award-nominated cinematographer best known for his work on Clint Eastwood directed films such as Flags of our fathers, Gran Torinoand American sniper. His most recent project, this year’s martial arts comedy kung fury 2is currently in post-production and Stern is currently starting on the new one Luther movie.
Publication date
The almond and the seahorse will be released in limited theaters and on-demand streaming services on December 16, 2022.