James Robert Sinclair was born in 1930 in the ben (the ‘good’) end of Clavel, a croft in the South Mainland of Shetland. The only child of Gibby and Mima Sinclair, he has lived there all his life, and since they died, on his own.
A familiar sight in his blue boiler suit and yellow wellies, James Robert has always been on the go, in all weathers: feeding his sheep, checking on them, moving them on.
But as he grew older the crofthouse fell into disrepair. Following a stay in hospital in 2007, James Robert heeded the concerns of friends and social services and reluctantly moved to sheltered housing in the nearby village of Bigton.
Following him through the sheep year – from lambing to market to the slipping of the ram – this film is a study of a man, his way of life and those around who help him do it.
You can read more about the making of this film here.
