This is somewhat in the shadow of Patrick Keiller and his "Robinson in Space" in particular, but nevertheless this is an enjoyably curious travelogue around the coast of Blighty.
Epiphany is reached on Holy Island, an intensely cinematic environ: as used by Roman Polanski in his macabre curio, "Cul de Sac" (1966). Northern friendliness exemplified by Middlesbrough citizens. Perennial nostalgia and love of performance is found on the remote North Cumbrian coast. A Julian Cope-esquire exploration of paganism in the Cornish wilds - all the sadder for the realisation that the locals are now even more priced out of their area by rampant second-home ownership.
There are a few quite sharp and profound moments, certainly - but perhaps it lacks a central thesis like that of "Robinson in Space" with its Defoe influenced itinerary. Kotting's experimental shorts on the DVD are well worth a look. "Gallivant" is ultimately an enjoyably oddball journey, perhaps most memorable for what it discloses about extreme youth and age - the personae of Kotting's 7 year old daughter, Eden, and his 85 year old grandmother, Gladys. Neither is likely to live much longer and the journey takes on an elegiac feel; the film mutates into a travel narrative about making something of limited time and resources: about companionship within an unusual family trio.
Epiphany is reached on Holy Island, an intensely cinematic environ: as used by Roman Polanski in his macabre curio, "Cul de Sac" (1966). Northern friendliness exemplified by Middlesbrough citizens. Perennial nostalgia and love of performance is found on the remote North Cumbrian coast. A Julian Cope-esquire exploration of paganism in the Cornish wilds - all the sadder for the realisation that the locals are now even more priced out of their area by rampant second-home ownership.
There are a few quite sharp and profound moments, certainly - but perhaps it lacks a central thesis like that of "Robinson in Space" with its Defoe influenced itinerary. Kotting's experimental shorts on the DVD are well worth a look. "Gallivant" is ultimately an enjoyably oddball journey, perhaps most memorable for what it discloses about extreme youth and age - the personae of Kotting's 7 year old daughter, Eden, and his 85 year old grandmother, Gladys. Neither is likely to live much longer and the journey takes on an elegiac feel; the film mutates into a travel narrative about making something of limited time and resources: about companionship within an unusual family trio.
