Learning to Love Who You Were

Read Time:7 Minute, 27 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Kiloran Bay
–

Genre: Short, Musical, Drama, LGBTQIA2S+, Romance
Year Released: 2026
Runtime: 13m
Director(s): Michael Bruce
Writer(s): Michael Bruce
Cast: Alan Cumming, Jack Wolfe, Stuart Thompson, Giles Terera, David Fynn, David Hayman, Sammy Hayman, Nathan Lundie, Jack Mooney
Where to Watch: shown at the 2026 BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, Tribeca Festival and Frameline50 International LGBTQ+ Film Festival

RAVING REVIEW: Going home isn't always about returning to a place you miss. Sometimes it means confronting the memories you've avoided, the people you couldn't face, and the version of yourself who never understood why being different seemed to come at such a terrible price. Michael Bruce explores that experience through music, Scottish tradition, and two outstanding performances in KILORAN BAY, a thirteen-minute musical that finds tremendous depth in an unexpectedly intimate homecoming. It's a beautiful directorial debut from someone who clearly understands that music can communicate feelings we’ve spent years struggling to put into words.

Alan Cumming plays Torquil, a gay man who returns to his Scottish hometown with his partner after decades away. Their visit coincides with a traditional wedding cèilidh (a traditional Scottish or Irish social gathering featuring live folk music, storytelling, and group dancing), surrounded by familiarity, celebration, and reminders of a life he worked hard to leave behind. What should be a joyful occasion becomes complicated as Torquil confronts memories of his past, brought to life through Jack Wolfe's portrayal at a younger age.

One of Bruce's most inspired creative decisions is making the cèilidh an essential part of the storytelling rather than simply using it to establish the film's identity. These gatherings traditionally bring people together through music and dancing, creating an atmosphere where participation matters more than getting everything just right. It's especially meaningful to place a man who once felt excluded from his own community within a celebration built on connection and belonging. Torquil understands the traditions around him, but familiarity doesn't make him comfortable participating.

The musical approach gives Bruce opportunities to examine those complicated emotions without stopping the story for dialogue. Melody and performance become extensions of the characters' experiences, letting their feelings develop in ways ordinary conversation couldn't achieve. The transition between the present and Torquil's memories feels especially appropriate in this format, where music can connect experiences separated by decades without requiring an explanation for every association.

Cumming brings enormous warmth to Torquil, particularly in how he balances the character's personality with the emotional reservations beneath it. There's a clear difference between someone comfortable with their identity and someone who's learned to appear comfortable while still carrying the consequences of past experiences. Cumming understands that, giving Torquil an identity without suggesting that age has automatically resolved everything he endured growing up.

Wolfe is equally impressive, bringing an intensity to the younger Torquil that makes the character's history far more touching. His performance captures the difficulties of discovering who you are while recognizing that the people around you might not offer the acceptance you so desperately need. Wolfe's musical background is another major advantage, and his vocal performance heightens the character's vulnerability without becoming theatrical. The result is a portrayal that helps us understand why certain experiences remain difficult to confront long after the circumstances surrounding them have changed.

Together, Cumming and Wolfe's performances establish a meaningful relationship between two periods of the same life, examining the complicated ways people remember themselves and the baggage they continue to carry into adulthood. The contrast between them is moving because growing older doesn't erase what happened when we were younger. We can build meaningful relationships, find supportive communities, and create lives that once seemed impossible, yet still struggle to give our younger selves the understanding we needed then.

Bruce deserves credit for recognizing how naturally musical storytelling fits this subject. Before stepping behind the camera, he established a successful career as a composer and lyricist, with work spanning the West End, Broadway, the National Theatre, and the Royal Shakespeare Company. His screen credits include original music for Netflix's HARD CELL and THE NAN MOVIE, alongside work on ROMEO & JULIET, starring Jessie Buckley and Josh O'Connor. That experience is evident in how confidently KILORAN BAY approaches its musical personality.

The Scottish setting provides an appealing visual contrast between the warmth of celebration and the more personal nature of Torquil's memories. The natural surroundings reinforce the idea that returning home means confronting a history that persists no matter how long someone has been away.

The supporting ensemble, including Stuart Thompson, Giles Terera, David Fynn, and David Hayman, helps establish the community surrounding Torquil. Their involvement also reflects the impressive theatrical talent Bruce has assembled for his first film. Given the limited runtime, the production can't explore every relationship, but it benefits from performers who can establish characters in brief appearances.

If there's one area where I wanted slightly more, it's the time available to experience Torquil's relationships beyond the immediate emotional focus. The thirteen-minute format requires some compression, particularly when introducing a present-day relationship, exploring a complicated personal history, and incorporating musical elements. Some supporting elements have enough potential to warrant more attention, though expanding them would undoubtedly change the film's focused approach.

There's something especially satisfying about a musical that understands joy and pain aren't mutually exclusive. KILORAN BAY isn't interested in treating queer identity exclusively through suffering, nor does it pretend that finding happiness eliminates the consequences of growing up without acceptance. It recognizes that the past remains part of us, even when we've worked hard to create a better present. The film centers on acknowledging those experiences without letting them dictate every decision. Bruce's connection to his Scottish heritage is particularly meaningful here. The same surroundings that comfort and feel familiar to one person can hold difficult memories for another. That contradiction makes Torquil's homecoming feel specific to his experience while remaining accessible to anyone who's ever struggled to return to a place where they once felt unwelcome.

The film has already enjoyed an impressive festival run, premiering at BFI Flare before Tribeca and Frameline, three particularly meaningful platforms for a production examining LGBTQIA2S+ experiences. Its qualification for consideration at the 99th Academy Awards is another wonderful achievement for Bruce's debut; I hope the attention introduces audiences to his distinctive approach to musical filmmaking. A director willing to use the form to examine personal subjects without sacrificing cultural identity has considerable potential.

What stayed with me most about KILORAN BAY was its understanding that self-acceptance isn't necessarily a single moment. Becoming comfortable with who we are can take years, and even then, looking back at our younger selves with kindness is another challenge. Bruce approaches that experience with compassion, supported by performances that communicate the distance between youth and adulthood with remarkable effectiveness.

KILORAN BAY is an accomplished, deeply personal debut that makes excellent use of its music, performers, and distinct surroundings. Alan Cumming and Jack Wolfe are wonderful together, but the film's greatest achievement belongs to Bruce, whose understanding of musical storytelling gives this an identity of its own. It recognizes that returning home doesn't require pretending the past was kinder than it actually was. Sometimes the most important person waiting for us there is the one we left behind, still deserving of the acceptance we eventually learned to give ourselves.

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[photo courtesy of GRASP THE NETTLE FILMS, HAZEL PICTURES]

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