The people in Forres don't work. Between 9 and 5, they dissolve into the pubs, where the light shines as a warm glow in their midst. Then the stranger Bodkin arrives into town. He has come to this remote corner of Europe to hide and lie low. The film blends fiction, documentary and a literary essay of a man looking for a fresh start, aiming for a fair chance. In his pure and existential aim to belong somewhere, he is a hazard to himself and his surrounding.

'Bodkin Ras' thrusts an actor portraying a mysterious foreigner into the real environment of a small Scottish town. Having secured a decent job, a group of caring (if rough-around-the-edges) friends, and a love interest, the stranger seems on the verge of assimilation, but his dark, questionable past will inevitably catch up to him. This fascinating hybrid of documentary and fiction is filled with unforgettable characters, a strong sense of place and an urgency that turns what might be an experiment into a thrilling and humanistic film.