moviereview colin fraser film movie australia review critic flicks
There’s nothing like a horror novelist to complicate your life. Or maybe a ghost, that’s also a very complicating factor. Pity poor Michael Farr (Ciarán Hinds), a middle-aged widower, when he finds both have invaded his peace. Trying to live a quiet life in a small Irish town, his life gets very involved when a fantasy writer’s festival comes to town. Michael offers his services as a driver, becoming close to one of the festival guests (Iben Hjejle) and even closer to the ghost of his nearly-departed father-in-law. Together they try to solve the riddle, and assuage Michael’s fears.
Director Conor McPherson, working from his own screenplay, makes a bit of a meal of this romantic fantasy thriller. Better known for comedy (Michael Caine in the rather forgettable 2003 crime caper The Actor), he seems at odds marrying the twin devices – Michael’s burgeoning affair and the spooky goings on that may, or may not, be a product of his troubled imagination.
McPherson has a solid grasp of mood, even if performance and purpose seem to stray more often than one would like. Events aren’t made any happier when proceedings suddenly and unequivocally come to an exasperatingly sudden end. That said, Hinds caught the attention of the jury at Tribeca, while McPherson picked up a gong at the prestigious Stiges film festival, once more showing that not all film is to all tastes. Still, it’s hard to image to whose taste The Eclipse might be.
// COLIN FRASER
moviereview colin fraser film movie australia review critic flicks