CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
‘The Eclipse’ Blends Human Drama With Spooky Horror
Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I often find that the most interesting characters in a ghost story are not the ghosts themselves, but the humans who encounter them. Ghosts are reflections of a past we are unwilling to depart from, even if it halts us from entering the future. It’s a consolation for us to believe that our departed loved ones view us as their “unfinished business.”
My favorite scene in “The Sixth Sense” is not the final revelation, but the scene that precedes it, taking place in a stationary car where a mother and son share a stunning moment of spiritual catharsis. It’s the best scene of M. Night Shyamalan’s career, and should’ve garnered Oscars for actors Toni Collette and Haley Joel Osment. But more to the point, it beautifully articulated the innate need of mankind to connect with the world beyond, a truth that’s also powerfully conveyed in Conor McPherson’s remarkable new picture, “The Eclipse.”
Read Matt Fagerholm’s full review of “The Eclipse” in our reviews section. |
Like “Sense,” “Eclipse” is primarily a human drama with occasional jolts of chilling horror. It centers on a character we’ve all seen before, the haunted widower grieving over his wife’s death, yet the filmmakers refuse to turn him into a cliché. He’s played by Ciarán Hinds, one of the finest and most underrated character actors in recent cinema, who’s popped up in everything from “There Will Be Blood” to “In Bruges,” and will soon be known to American audiences as Aberforth Dumbledore in the final “Harry Potter” installments. Hinds has been sorely deserving of a leading role, and “Eclipse” provides him with a worthy showcase. He plays Michael Farr, a teacher and father in an Irish seaside village that’s hosting an annual literary festival. Farr volunteers as a driver for the visiting authors, including a smug American novelist (Aidan Quinn) who’s pursuing a radiant author (Iben Hjejle) specializing in the supernatural.
A lesser filmmaker would have these characters fall into a routine love triangle, but director McPherson, best known for his work as an acclaimed playwright, isn’t interested in recycling tidy formulas. He captures the awkwardness and occasional sloppiness of human behavior with a raw authenticity that is strikingly juxtaposed with the picturesque surroundings, masterfully lensed with a painterly eye by cinematographer Ivan McCullough. What distinguishes McPherson from most playwright-turned-filmmakers is his gift for purely visual storytelling. There are a number of moments in which a great deal is conveyed merely by a hesitant pause between words or a subtle move of the camera. McCullough pulls off some spectacular extended shots that are all the more effective because they don’t draw attention away from the story.
The Eclipse With Ciaran Hinds
Photo credit: Magnolia Pictures