It is a very simple plot. A multi-national oil company
attempts to buy out a small seaside town in Scotland, but one resident cannot
be bought. There is no great complexity here. Local Hero is uncomplicated, and yet it is a story which deals with
so much: greed, redemption, love, loneliness, the idea of one person being able
to change things far bigger than himself, and what the point of having a life
might be anyway are all covered here in a sweet and funny tale.
Even though it does do all of those things, it should not be
thought that the film is at all heavy-handed. It is quite the opposite. In
fact, the cornerstone of the charm of this film is how relaxed and natural it
feels. It is not a comedy which attempts to go for huge laughs but is very
funny with subtle humour and wit permeating both Bill Forsyth’s script and his
direction. Everything is handled with the lightest of touches, and as such the
film is hugely watchable and entertaining and just seems to achieve greatness
effortlessly.
