Signs of Life
A mute, grieving woman is befriended by a talkative Irishman on the island of Lanzarote in Joseph Millson’s memorable minimalist drama.
David Ganly and Sarah-Jane Potts
Image courtesy of Bulldog Film Distribution.
Signs of Life is the first feature as writer and director of Joseph Millson and as a debut it is something special. As my rating indicates, I found the film less than wholly successful but, even so, its qualities are of a kind that make it well worthy of your attention. Millson is very well established as an actor who has worked regularly for the stage, in film, in television and on radio and it is certainly not unknown for somebody with that kind of background to turn to directing for the cinema. What makes Millson's case stand out is his clear decision to create a work in which the visual element is paramount together with a special concern for the soundtrack both musically and in the care given to the use of natural sounds. The film is set for the most part in Lanzarote and is admirably shot in widescreen by Millson’s nephew Elliot following a series of short works which he photographed. Signs of Life is a family venture in another sense too: the lead actress is Sarah-Jane Potts who became Joseph Millson’s second wife in 2013 although online information indicates that the couple have now separated and are in the process of divorcing.
In terms of the story that it tells Signs of Life is a bold venture since its central character, Anne, is silent. On being accosted by a fellow tourist shortly after arriving on Lanzarote she explains her lack of response by writing the following words on her notepad: "I am not deaf. I just don't speak". To rob your key character of speech in this way could easily become a fatal limitation but in the event Sarah-Jane Potts succeeds admirably in conveying through her facial expressions the emotional anguish which Anne is experiencing. There are hints of what has caused her grief in that we glimpse an urn that she is carrying and this suggests that for some reason she has come to the island to distribute the ashes of a person who had been dear to her. However, in the absence of any ready clarification of her past, Signs of Life proves to be a study of how in her isolated state her encounter with a stranger, Bill played by David Ganly, turns out to possess a certain restorative power.
To start with Bill is just another tourist whom she happens to see in passing, but he soon becomes a significant figure. After a noisy youth in an adjoining room has disrupted Anne’s sleep and then threatened her, she feels so unsafe that she walks out of her accommodation. She is, in fact, now homeless on the island and Bill recognises her need. As Signs of Life develops it becomes virtually a two-hander and it turns out that Bill needs to talk to somebody because he is coming to terms with a crisis of his own. He had hired a villa in order to have time on Lanzarote with his two kids, but the wife who was divorcing him had at the very last minute disappeared with the children. With it being too late to cancel, he had travelled out on his own, but he is now thinking of cutting short his stay, a decision which enables him to invite Anne to take over the villa for the rest of the term. Somewhat wary at first, she soon realises that she is at no risk from Bill and, when the arrangement for his early return flight goes astray, she suggests that the two of them share the villa.
Signs of Life is a minimalist film in that it takes its time and does not hesitate to hold back on dramatic action. To carry off this style of film calls for real skill and the sense of precision behind each shot illustrates Millson’s capabilities in this respect aided by what must surely have been a very close collaboration with his editor, Charles Lort-Phillips. I have already indicated the important contribution made by the music and Anne Dudley’s score is given every chance to contribute to the film’s emotional atmosphere which it does without ever becoming too much (whether or not a couple of additional songs – one at the close – quite fit the style of the piece is perhaps more debatable). Very sensibly Millson’s screenplay avoids any sense of a romantic bond between his two central characters. Bill is substantially older than Anne in any case, but it is key to the film’s purpose that the story should be centred on somebody being able to provide a sympathetic rapport that is akin to the comfort of strangers.
While Signs of Life may of its nature have a character that will prevent the film from appealing to all, I certainly admired it, as did those who gave it the award for Best UK Feature at the London Independent Film Festival in 2024. Nevertheless, I did find that its later stages were less well judged. The minimalism is apt but already in the film’s middle section one senses that, despite the running length being no more than 87 minutes, it is starting to be drawn out just a shade too much. More importantly, one does expect that ultimately the facts about what has happened to Anne will in some way emerge in detail. But in the event, we learn relatively little in the last scenes: they include a carnival procession and a night-time visit to the beach yet fail to provide the satisfying conclusion that one seeks. But, if that disappoints, there is plenty to compensate both in the revelation of Millson's directorial talent and in the quality of the acting, especially that of Sarah-Jane Potts. Finally, I would just add that as an example of engaging trivia I appreciate the novelty to be found in the end credits which read "Filmed in Leighton Buzzard and Lanzarote".
MANSEL STIMPSON
Cast: Sarah-Jane Potts, David Ganly, Sharon Duce, Helen Grady, Ben Redman, Jessica Millson, Oliver Jackson, Simon Shorten, Billie Farrell, Aidan Banyard, Zachary David, Tula-Rose Pallister.
Dir Joseph Millson, Pro Joseph Millson, Anne Dudley and Roger Dudley, Screenplay Joseph Millson, Ph Elliot Millson, Art Dir Gabriel Chao and Asya Peker, Ed Charles Lort-Phillips, Music Anne Dudley.
Signs of Life Films/MillPotts-Bulldog Film Distribution.
87 mins. UK. 2025. UK Rel: 5 September 2025. Cert. 15.
