The Tape – Full of Heart
Director: Martha Tilston
Writer: Martha Tilston (Screenplay)
Starring: Martha Tilston, Craig Blake, Lee Hart, Steve Jacobs
Plot: Tally Green, Cornwall’s worst cleaner, is living in a van and making ends meet. When she gets a job at an empty cliff-top house, she is drawn to the piano and moves in, beginning to write music inspired by its poetic owner and recording it on an old 4-track machine. When jaded corporate lawyer Leo arrives in the area, her free spirit helps him evaluate his life choices and they grow closer. After a stormy night and a misjudged offer of help, the couple argue and Leo challenges Tally on why she’s hiding her talent. As they part ways, Tally gives him the only tape of the album she’s made. Back in London, Leo quits his job to become a writer, meanwhile Tally builds herself up to doing her first small gig in years. When a radio DJ discovers the tape, it’s clear that Tally isn’t going to stay hidden for much longer.
Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Tape starts as we see how Tally Green (Tilston) gets the reputation of being the worst cleaner in Cornwell, this will end up landing her a job housesitting, something she can handle. In the house she gets to bring back her love for music with a piano, overheard by corporate lawyer Leo (Hart), who has headed to the area to clear his head.
As the pair get to know each other Leo tries to help Tally get the success her voice deserves, leading to one of her songs going round the radio station, in search for the woman behind the voice, leading to Tally needing to face her resistance to let her music being used in public.
Thoughts on The Tape
Characters & Performances – Tally Green is known as the worst cleaner in Cornwell, she lives in her van, reflecting her free spirit attitude to life. Tally does have a beautiful voice, one that she looks to keep to herself, stepping away from that life before, but once she gets behind a piano again, the music comes back to her, which will show why she only liked the music for herself, not for the world to hear. Martha Tilston writes, directs and stars in the leading the role, she shines in the singing side of the film, while being equally as strong with the serious side of the character’s life. Leo is the corporate lawyer that is looking to escape to the country, he meets Tally and helps her unleash her voice, trying to help her reach stardom, not understanding her choice in music. Lee Hart does a great job in this role, not taking the spotlight from Martha in the process.
Story – The story here follows a free spirit that gets her voiced heard when a visitor looks to free it to the world, while she must try to keep her identity secret from the country. This does show us just how much you want a dream to come together without wanting to commit to the bigger picture. It shows people can be happy in life, with the smallest thing, not the biggest stardom. The idea the two people from a different world meet and fall in love, is the basic side of the story, with both questioning how this could happen, but being happy it did. This is a story with a big heart, much like Wild Rose from the recent times, but one that doesn’t quite hit those heights.
Themes – The Tape is a romantic drama musical, following the reluctant musician in the world, who meets someone new and falls in love with someone outside of the world she would expect to find love in. the Cornwell setting is beautiful, holding together the quiet life that Tally has enjoyed in recent times.
Final Thoughts – The Tape is a beautiful story about love, dreams and enjoying the little things in life.
