A film about discovering Scotland’s power to slow you down and let you see the world around you. It feels strange to use the word ‘efficient’ to describe the greatest movie ever made on the multivalent concept of ‘value’ but it’s striking how efficient Bill Forsyth’s scripting and staging are. There’s not a wasted scene or shot in the whole movie: each one contributes a character beat, a plot point, or a thematic development. LOCAL HERO does a wonderful job of making the community of Ferness into a collective character à la the islanders in WHISKY GALORE! while also ensuring that they’re all clearly defined individual characters in their own right.