In this supernatural thriller penned and helmed by award-winning Irish playwright and director Conor McPherson (Salt Water, The Actors), Ciarán Hinds (There Will Be Blood) stars as a recent widower who begins to sense that a mysterious presence is sharing his house. Iben Hjejle and Aidan Quinn co-star as a pair of novelists whose worlds converge with that of the widower thanks to an international literary festival in Wexford that brings surprising changes to all their lives.
Matt
Rating: 8 out of 10
This film is extraordinarily subtle, from its performances, writing, cinematogrphay, and even its more chilling moments.
McPherson is very patient as a director. He develops characters, never goes over the top with gore or scary imagery, and builds the entire movie to have meaning in the third reel. Because of this, the viewer needs to be share McPherson’s patience. It’s not very hard, though, as the characters are believable, ones we can relate to on many levels and care about by the end of the film. McPherson never takes the easy way out of his story — a big splashy scene with gore and car chases or a corny monologue to wrap up a conflict within a character.
Because of this, the ghost story he tells is more believable and therefore even more tense. It’s not out-of-this-world crazy. In fact, many of us may had similar experiences as the characters in “The Eclipse.” This is one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve seen in a while. The scares are few, but powerful. As a side note, it’s available on Netflix’s instant viewing.
Vicky and I just saw this and we liked it as well for all the same reasons you did. You perhaps enjoyed it a bit more though. It was beautifully shot and the performances were just amazing. Quinn stole every scene he was in and the shocks were really well placed. Good review, man.
A+ would read again!
sounds keen enough, I’ll give it a try.
Let me know what you think.
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