Devil’s Point
It was a place Ailsa knew as a girl, both from visiting and from the stories her family told, the myths and legends of the Cairngorms, a beautiful and mystical place now returned to years later with her boyfriend Sean, the promise of an easy slope then the shelter of the bothy atop not-at-all sinister or ominous Devil’s Point where in 1670 Flora Gordon threw herself off to escape her cruel husband.
The mood dropping with the temperature and the revelation that Sean’s lack of camping experience has left both of them poorly prepared for even a single night outdoors, hungry and huddled together in the dark they play word games which turn to probing the past and present of their relationship, and their future, if they have one, while outside the wind sounds like whispers…
A short drama with aspects of folk horror directed by Eve Miller, Devil’s Point was written by Laura J Milton who plays Alisa alongside Logan Rodgers as Sean, the man who she not-accidentally bumped into at Glasgow airport who then offered to be her tour guide in his home town of Dublin, their flirting natural and their performances lively, the story flitting between flashbacks of a growing relationship and the chill present of the mountainside and the deep history of the place.
On the rocks with their truths and self-deceptions, the hoped for romantic warmth cooling in the damp air, shadow puppets illustrate the recounting of the tragedy of Flora and Angus but the initially atmospheric acoustic guitar soundtrack becomes stale with repetition and despite the genuine believability of the performers the finale lacks the impact it demands, the staging perhaps needing more scope than the prohibitive venue can provide.
Devil’s Point continues at theSpace on the Mile until Saturday 16th August
