Rating: B
Dir: Damian Mc Carthy
Star: Carolyn Bracken, Gwilym Lee, Caroline Menton, Steve Wall
This is one I went into, knowing very little about it: basically, simply hearing a lot of good things. Turns out they were justified, with a solid and atmospheric story of murder, revenge and cursed objects. It begin in the remote house which Dani Timmins (Bracken) is renovating, while husband Ted (Lee) works at the somewhat-nearby psychiatric facility. Dani is disturbed by a knock, and finds a recently-released inmate telling her he saw someone enter the house when Dani went out to get something from her car. Should she believe him? Well, we jump forward a year, and discover Dani was bludgeoned to death by an intruder that night, with the inmate being convicted for the crime.
Not everyone is convinced, in particular, Dani’s twin sister Darcy (also Bracken). She’s a blind psychic who can use objects to connect to their owners and their experiences. On the anniversary of her sister’s murder, she shows up unexpectedly at the house, in which Ted is now living with new girlfriend Yana (Menton). Also arriving: a packing case containing a very creepy mannequin carved from wood. Darcy refuses to take ‘no’ for an answer, and stays in the house with Yana after Ted goes to work. The two women do not exactly hit it off, and the mysterious disappearance of Yana’s car keys set in motion a train of events which will – eventually – reveal the truth about what happened, 12 months previously.
It’s mostly a clash of heads, and cultures, between Ted and Darcy. The former is a deeply sceptical physician, who doesn’t believe in Darcy’s professed abilities, or any of the ‘cursed’ objects she sells in her antique shop. The latter more or less rolls her eyes at Ted’s doubts, and lets subsequent events do the talking. Yana, initially doubtful, is soon convinced and decides to high-tail it out of there at the first opportunity. As Ted gradually sees his sister-in-law isn’t mucking about, he realizes the truth is not going to set him free. Quite the opposite, in fact, and so action needs to be taken. However, you get the feeling he’s playing draughts while Darcy is playing chess, and of the 4-D variety at that.
Mc Carthy – and am I the only one who finds the space in his IMDb-approved surname a little weird? – has taken something which feels like a ten-minute short, and extended it to feature length with almost effortless grace. Looking back, it feels like there isn’t enough meat to sustain a movie, yet when you are in the experience, there are few moments where you won’t find yourself fully engrossed in proceedings. It’s mostly due to Bracken’s wonderful performance as Darcy, which holds on to your attention, as things escalate up to, and beyond, further tragedy. I do have some plot questions: her talent apparently allows her to see things the object owner might not have. However, it’s not enough to disable a highly-effective generator of dread and tension.