Living on the edge of Europe: New documentary by Scottish filmmaker shows precarious existence of remote communities in the Highlands

“I don’t think people realise what it’s like to live 70 miles away from the nearest town, I don’t think they realise the difficulties living in these fringe communities and I don’t think they care,” said George Graham, a carpenter living in Scotland’s north west Highlands.

Small Country is due to be premiered at film festivals this year before being made available for wider viewing pictures: Gregor D Sinclair

The craftsman features in a new documentary vividly portraying the lives of those living in what remains of the country’s wilderness, where a mere 9,701 people live across 4,000km2 of land making it the least populated area in Western Europe.

Small Country, made by Scottish filmmaker Gregor D. Sinclair, sheds light on the peripheral existence of this community while those outside it remain locked in an acrimonious debate about its future.

The documentary aims to deflect the viewer from the political conversation to focusing on the voices of those whose roots are embedded in the land.

The film was shot in the north west Highlands of Scotland picture: Gregor D Sinclair

“The point of the film is that no one has the answer to what we should do with this wilderness,” said Sinclair, 26.

“It’s a place like nowhere else on earth where people live off storm-weathered rock, heather and bog stretching for hundreds of miles.

“The people who think they have the answer are those who come from the Central Belt and make policies about the countryside, campaign for it, but don’t actually live in it.

“Because the people whose survival depends on this land say there is no one answer.”

Gregor D Sinclair who has directed and produced Small Country picture: Gregor D Sinclair

The documentary features individuals fighting to keep their businesses alive in a place where the ancient skills they use are in decline as younger generations move away.

Some stay true to their crofting heritage with others yielding to the changes tourism and industry brings.

From a stalker to a carpenter, a shepherd to a laird, Sinclair’s film captures the conflicting views of those living off the land that they all know so well.

“There is no right or wrong answer for these people, each person’s situation is unique,” Sinclair said.

The Oakes family who dive for scallops and harvest seaweed in the north west Highlands picture: Gregor D Sinclair

“What is important though is bringing nuance and empathy to the debate about this area of Scotland which is currently lost in the political discourse.

“It’s about having sensitivity for these people’s issues, treating them as humans, not just facts and figures, and bringing them to the heart of the discussion.”

Raised on a remote island himself, Sinclair, from Orkney, said one thing that he found eye-opening while making Small Country was the liability of the land in the north west.

"It costs more to manage than what you get back,” he said.

A stag scaling the hills in the north west of Scotland shown in Gregor Sinclair's Small Country picture: Gregor D Sinclair

The film reveals estates costing six figure sums to run with no profit as shepherds spend more than they earn with their flock.

The answer on what to do with the land for environmental, political and social reasons remains unique to the individuals living off it.

“There is no binary argument, no yes or no,” Sinclair said.

“With community buyouts for example, some work well and others are a total disaster. Holyrood is encouraging them but it needs to be looked more carefully than just going on principle.

"If there’s a main message from the film, it’s to listen to those whom we are most diametrically opposed, we have nothing to lose but our ignorance.”

Small Country will be showing at film festivals this year before being made available for public viewing.

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