‘The Eclipse’ Blends Human Drama With Spooky Horror

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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.”

The Eclipse With Ciaran Hinds
Photo credit: Magnolia Pictures

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 and Iben Hjejle
Photo credit: Magnolia Pictures

If there’s a major problem with the film at all, it’s the ghosts themselves. While they are undoubtedly frightening, and guaranteed to send some viewers leaping from their chairs on at least a couple occasions, their jarring appearances are disappointingly conventional. The filmmakers build such a convincing atmosphere of dread and tension that it’s somewhat of a letdown when the ghosts show up, exuding a theatricality and gruesomeness that would’ve fit better in a Sam Raimi picture. “Eclipse” is stronger during its more ominous moments, such as when Farr, in a dreamlike stupor, spots a blurry figure wandering through his house (that moment produces as big of a chill as anything in “Paranormal Activity”). And there’s a sequence late in the film that plays out in complete silence, and hits the perfect note, fusing genuine awe with unbridled heartbreak.

It’s ultimately the human relationships that make this film such a rewarding experience. Hinds is touchingly restrained, and once again succeeds in making acting look as natural as breathing. The other stand-out in the cast is Quinn, who somehow manages to make his egomaniacal character halfway sympathetic, even as his misguided vanity destroys everything he touches, resulting in a drunken fistfight so realistic that it inspires a wince. Like Farr, he’s haunted by an unattainable object of his desire, yet the only spirits he comes in contact with are the ones he consumes on a daily basis.

Though “The Eclipse” may not be a great film, it is certainly one of the year’s richest art house treasures thus far. Seek it out in a theater during its limited release, or watch it On Demand. Make sure to watch it at night, with all of the lights off. I dare you.

By MATT FAGERHOLM Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com matt@hollywoodchicago.com