Having a big budget TV show film in your country can be a huge boost for tourism. Take Game of Thrones, as an example. It may have ended seven years ago, but tours in Ireland, where most of it was shot, are still going strong.

This notion of a community coming to terms with the arrival of a film crew for a new TV fantasy drama is the backdrop for this bittersweet drama, starring the formidable Peter Mullan.

Living in the sleepy Scottish town of Aberloch is Kenneth (Mullan). He works in a very small museum, devoted to local historical figure Sir Douglas Weatherford, where he even heads tours around the area.

He so passionate about the man, he has even checked his family history, only to find that he is related to the man, albeit very, very distantly. Still, it’s something he can boast about on his tours.

His life gets turned upside-down however, when a new TV show The White Stag of Emberfell, based on a set of fantasy novels, not only takes over the countryside, but once the show airs and becomes a hit, it also takes over the museum he works at, as the town sees a boost in tourism because of it.

This sends Kenneth into a quiet rage, as his hero is pushed further into history, forcing him into a position to fight back, in an attempt to restore the family name.

The introduction of a film unit into Kenneth’s life only serves as a catalyst, triggering his already vulnerable mental state; his wife died about a year ago, leaving him alone with his dog in their home. He is still in a period of mourning and grief, compounded by a loneliness that accompanies it.

This sadness is the bedrock in which Mullan builds his character, a man who is desperately trying to hold onto a weak connection to his past, with nothing else to hold onto in his life currently, or look forward to. He has a daughter, and grand-daughter, but since she had a new partner, there distance grows, despite her odd visit.

He takes the arrival of the TV show as a personal affront, that only spirals his fragile mental state out of control. It also strips him of his identity in a way, stripping him of his position of official spokesman of the not terribly known Weatherford, becoming a truly lost soul.

This is the directorial debut for Scot Sean Robert Dunn, which he’s also written, that sees the often terrifying Mullan showing his sensitive side. There’s a lot of weight on Mullan’s shoulders as he carries the film, but he does what you would expect from his considerable talent, as his battle isn’t just visible in his face but his whole demeanour.

The script could have done with more light relief than there is, especially with the Game of Thrones adjacent TV show that features.

The focus is Kenneth’s mental descent, and although not harrowing, it is rich with sorrow, with no sign of a silver lining in the gloomy Scottish sky. Still, with the script it could have been worse with it’s possible finale, that would have been in keeping with Jon Snow et al, but thankfully doesn’t go that far.

It’s still about as far as you can get from a feel-good flick however, with man’s mental struggle front and centre; it may have intentions of being heart-warming but definitely veers into heartache territory, as it’s some fall indeed.