Review: DISTANCE REMAINING, Helen Milne Productions - Edinburgh Fringe (Online)

Written by Stewart Melton and directed by Caitlin Skinner, Distance Remaining is the story of three lost souls who try to make a break for freedom and begin a journey of discovery, but it’s lockdown and it’s not as simple as it seems.  

Faultless performances by Dolina MacLennan (Jess), Karen Dunbar (Lindsay), and Reuben Joseph (Cam) make this production a joy to watch.

It’s humorous, captivating and engaging.  We feel their frustration, pain, sorrow, regret and determination throughout, and its honest storytelling lets us feel their insecurities. Particularly nice is Dunbar’s response to social media posts.  As no one has reacted to them 30 seconds after she posts them, her irritation then builds to her anger at being what she believes to be constantly ignored by her boss.

There is remarkable detail in the filming and set. With one scene filmed mostly from a floor angle, there is a lot to absorb, and another on a beach constructs the isolation and loneliness the character feels, something a lot of us may have experienced over the last eighteen months.

This is a captivating piece, undeniably teaching us that sometimes all we need to do is ground ourselves, feel the sand beneath our feet, listen to our inner thoughts and just breathe, to feel what it’s like to just be alive.

***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Rachel Louise Martin

Distance Remaining is available at Fringe Online.