The Elvermen

Isla Badenoch’s documentary on the hidden community of elvermen debuted at Sheffield DocFest on June 5th and is currently in the UK Competition shorts category. 

Elver Dave is the last of his community of elver fishermen to catch any of these tiny eels. On one atmospheric night, there is a growing tension as to whether he will be successful, and his moment of triumph feels like an awesome wave of relief. That is when the real sucker punch of the story is delivered, with Dave revealing that the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union has had a catastrophic impact on his livelihood. The elver market has unfortunately been eradicated and the men who have been fishing for them their entire lives can no longer sell their catch to Europe. The elver will simply die in our lakes if they are not caught, but there is now no market for the elvermen to make a living.

Badenoch grounds the viewer in the world of these endangered fishermen, as the documentary captures their communication via a series of phone calls reporting on what their haul is for the evening. There is a charm to the constant phone calls lit up by head torches and also a feeling of nostalgia, as we experience the same nightly activity completed by these men’s fathers and grandfathers over the years. 

Anna Macdonald’s cinematography is fantastic: the combination of night-time shots and the underwater footage of the elver swimming in the lake makes for a real treat. The documentary offers a well-informed insight into a scarcely recognised subject and explores the themes of tradition and community through the relationships in the elvermen community. The beautiful cinematography combined with the central character as a guide to this new world feel reminiscent of Chloé Zhao’s Oscar-winning feature Nomadland.

There is a real connection between the elver and the men that fish for them, with this hidden community seeing elver fishing as a rite of passage. Elver Dave reveals that his two children fish for elver and one day he hopes to take his grandchildren with him. The documentary ends on a solemn note as the political implication of Brexit means that the elvermen are now as endangered as the elver themselves.

Badendoch and MacDonald deliver a fascinating look into the subject matter and deliver one of my personal highlights of DocFest. Be sure to catch it while you can! 

Written by Will McGinlay