HALF NELSON

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE / ENGLISH

Image of a man in a suit hovering above some vintage train seats whilst another woman in a red dress stands on another seat; both of them face away obscuring their faces.

HALF NELSON opens with Edward Nelson, the director’s almost Grandad, setting out on what proves to be his final journey–the train ride home to his loving wife, Eileen, in Glasgow.

The Castlecary Rail Disaster of 10th December 1937 was one of the worst railway crashes in Scottish history, killing 35 people including Edward. (Scottish Train Disaster (1937))

The film blends animation, collage, archive and reconstruction, documenting the ripple effect of Edward’s untimely death across generations. This deeply personal film questions the nature of family, identity and belonging.

DIRECTOR: ALICE NELSON

Image of Eileen, an older woman stood next to a vintage patterned wallpaper next to an empty suit