The Eclipse: movie review
In a quaint town on the Irish coast, teacher Michael Farr (Ciar谩n Hinds) helps out at the town鈥檚 annual literary festival. For the first time since his wife鈥檚 death two years earlier, he feels inklings of romantic potential, in the person of Lena (Iben Hjejle), one of the visiting writers. Part of their connection is that she writes nonfiction books about ghosts and he鈥檚 haunted 鈥� figuratively, by the memory of his wife, and literally, by the ghost of his father-in-law, who hasn鈥檛 even died yet.
In 鈥�The Eclipse,鈥� director/co-writer Conor McPherson manages to create a genuinely creepy atmosphere for much of the film, as well as provide a few jump-in-your-seat shocks. But McPherson isn鈥檛 really interested in making a horror film; he鈥檚 merely using the genre鈥檚 tropes as part of an adult romance about accepting tragedy and moving on. As a result, the energy slacks off in the final third. It鈥檚 a bit like 鈥淭he Sixth Sense鈥� 鈥� but without any of the mystery. Grade: C (Rated R for language and some disturbing images.)
