"Shuttlecock" is the code name for Alan Bates' character, a British agent renowned for his work with the French Resistance in World War II. Having just released a successful book about his wartime exploits, he has retired to 1960s Portugal in the time of Salazar's fascist regime. Shortly after the book's release, he is found speechless and disheveled near a train station, nearly catatonic after experiencing an unknown trauma. Bates' adult son begins to investigate his father's past, becoming obsessed with unlocking the truth and explaining his muteness.
"Shuttlecock" is a technically accomplished, quite beautiful film with a troubled production history. The director's cut features new footage filmed in 2014 with the original actors that bookends and elucidates the family saga. The new footage is edited seamlessly, and all of it looks fantastic. Many film databases list the revised version as an entirely separate movie with a 2020 release date.
Although the story's mysteries are ultimately revealed in a satisfying way, it must be admitted it can be slow going getting there. There is a chilly, reserved quality to the storytelling that requires patience from the viewer. In addition to the great Alan Bates, the film features a very strong Lambert Wilson performance, who portrays a character that may have seemed histrionic in the hands of a lesser actor.
This handsomely produced, well-acted drama of World War II's impact on one British family will reward patient viewers, and I'm glad it got finished so many years later.
