An affectionate portrait of the local communities, rituals and routines of Hawick in the Scottish Borders that is deeply invested in the sometimes absurd ways in which a town’s cultural identities are shaped, intuited and lived.

Dir. Mark Lyken - 90min - 2022 - UK

"Early on, as I was describing my observational way of working, someone remarked, “Ah, so you just film folk doing what they do” and I adopted that as a shorthand way of describing the work I make. I also like to collaborate with participants to cultivate scenes that present them on their own terms. “Notes..” feels like a nice mix of both approaches." Mark Lyken, read 'Notes on Notes' and see stills on the True Story blog: https://truestoryfilm.blog

"A collection of brief snapshots of the day-to-day, Lyken’s film is proof that there is no such thing as ordinary life. Maybe it’s his curious, kind-natured way of looking at people, their rhythms and routines, but scenes here become gently moving in ways that are hard to pinpoint exactly." - Guardian

"sweet-natured...almost Roy Andersson-esque camera captures various tableaux of Hawick-ian life....the magic of the quotidian" - We Love Cinema

"The very first films of the late 19th century did not feature glamorous movie actors or emoting thespians. Their stars were ordinary people, like the women spilling out of their workplace at lunchtime in Louis Lumière’s Workers Leaving the Factory...Last summer, the residents of Hawick in the Scottish Borders were in a similar position as those Lumière employees...an absolutely charming love letter to the town that's wry, sweet and brimming over with affection" - The Skinny