Amid the dynamic features at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), Misper stands out as a bold and affecting debut — a darkly funny, slow-burning mystery set in the quietly collapsing world of a dying seaside hotel.
Directed by Harry Sherriff, Misper avoids the clichés of typical crime stories. Instead of chasing clues or focusing on police or family, it zooms in on the emotional ripple effects of a colleague’s disappearance — and what happens to those left behind in the margins.
Set within the faded walls of a struggling hotel, the film follows Leonard Lowry (played by Samuel Blenkin), a quiet, somewhat awkward hotel employee whose world is shaken when fellow staff member Elle Pritchard (Emily Carey) mysteriously vanishes. But Misper isn’t about solving the case. It’s about what happens when people — especially men — are left to process grief, confusion, and paranoia in silence.
“We wanted to take a grounded look at a missing persons case,” says the writer. “Not from the police or family, but from people who only knew the character through work. People who are in the dark, trying to make sense of it all.”
Blenkin delivers a standout lead performance, portraying Leonard’s spiraling inner world with sensitivity and restraint. He’s supported by a stellar cast including Christine Bottomley, Daniel Ryan, and Oliver Ryan, all of whom lend authenticity to the ensemble of flawed, sympathetic characters.
Shot on location at The Grand Hotel in Folkestone, the crumbling setting becomes a metaphor for the emotional disrepair of its characters. As Tratalos and Sherriff note, “It’s a hotel where it always feels like the off-season — a place, and people, that have been forgotten. These characters are people who’ve been forgotten about, and they’re fighting to save a hotel that no one stays at anymore. There’s something tragic about the Grand that reflects what Leonard is going through in the film.”
Misper also showcases a wave of new British talent behind the camera. Produced by Fresh Orange Productions, it’s a first feature for many of its key creatives — and a sharp example of what can be achieved on a modest budget with bold storytelling and a clear emotional compass.