SYNOPSICS
The Eclipse (2009) is a English movie. Conor McPherson has directed this movie. Ciarán Hinds,Iben Hjejle,Aidan Quinn,Billy Roche are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2009. The Eclipse (2009) is considered one of the best Drama,Horror,Romance movie in India and around the world.
Having lost his beloved wife to cancer, the dejected widower and father of two, Michael Farr, is still struggling to find his feet in the Irish seaport town of Cobh. To keep his mind occupied, Michael volunteers for the picturesque town's annual literary festival, transporting famous authors such as the self-centred American novelist, Nicholas Holden, and the quiet British ghost-story writer, Lena Morelle, to various events. Once, those two polar opposites had a meaningless fling; however--even though Nicholas is still eager to pick up where they left off--more and more, Lena finds herself attracted to the sombre Michael, whose father-in-law's eerie ghost haunts him in the dead of night. Is this dreadful apparition a tangible manifestation created by a wounded soul?
The Eclipse (2009) Trailers
The Eclipse (2009) Reviews
An atypical blend of genres that ultimately satisfies.
"Then she knew. She knew that she was seeing a ghost, and she realized for perhaps the first time in her life, that she too would die. That her husband would die. And that her children would die. She knew in that moment, that she was looking at reality." The Eclipse is a tough movie to describe. It's an odd Irish mixture of a supernatural thriller and a family drama, that is very slow-paced. The entire movie occurs in a relatively short time frame, and not much appears to "happen", though it really does. Ciaran Hinds stars as a father of two who's recently lost his wife, and is charged with attending to a supernatural fiction writer (Iben Hjejle) who has come to Ireland for a literary festival. He begins to have either dreams or visions of his dead father (who's actually still alive), as he slowly draws closer to the female writer. That's hardly a serviceable summary, but this movie is difficult to summarize. As I said, it's slow-paced; but that suits the movie. I never found it dull or boring. I can't really think of anything to compare it to. It's a very adult drama, that deals with death and loneliness without being depressing or sappy. Don't watch it expecting a horror movie, or a typical romance, or...well, the best thing to do would be to not expect anything specific, at all. Watch The Eclipse with a completely open mind. Be assured, though, that it has a lot to offer. It's one of the more "genuine" movies that I've seen in quite a while. Maybe once you've watched it, you can describe it better than I can.
"I wait in a place where the shadows run from themselves." Cream; White Room
"The Eclipse" is a surreal walk in the shoes of a few Irish villagers. Some have criticized this piece for being somewhat disjointed and confusing. I must heartily disagree! It is simply a limited time in life of a few very interesting people in Ireland at a Literary Conference and how those lives rode a little rougher when disturbed by the supernatural. For those who have forfeited pieces of your heart a bloody chunk at a time after losing someone dear, this movie will inspire. Our psyche, often in partnership with our dreams, can work through some regret, pain, loss, guilt and loneliness by gifting us very real visions in which we touch or hug that loved one, possibly even sharing meaningful words with them. In 2006 my sister died in a fire. On and off, for a few years, I experienced the sound of her calling my name in the night shortly after I fell asleep. This happened several times, waking me, bringing me to actually look for her. In fact, many years before that, I had the opportunity to be with and hold my infant daughter, who died of SIDS when she was 5 months. I held her preciousness in my arms and played with her several times over a matter of years. This always seemed to occur in the twilight of my sleep. At first, I experienced the loss of her, magnified when I awoke, knowing it was a dream; after a couple of years, I unexpectedly became grateful for the privilege to spend that time with her. Since my loss, I have talked with so many people who have experienced similar incidents. I can almost imagine these phenomena taking themselves just a step further. Can't you? The enigmatic Ciaran Hinds has held my attention since I first noticed him in Jane Austen's "Persuasion". He seemed an unlikely, oafish sort for the part. I was wrong. The man, as I have witnessed since, is a great character actor and quite a strong, yet vulnerable, lead. The music was beautiful and apropos, the subject matter intriguing, the acting well done and as a note of interest, the writer, Billy Roche, was the host of the literary event. While he was just short of invisible, he managed to create some comic relief. This was an eccentrically mysterious movie you will either love or not. It IS definitely worth the time to give it a try.
One of the best movies at Tribeca 2009
I never post movie reviews or blog about movies, but since I've been seeing so much hate on this website towards a really good film...I figure I'll give it a shot. I saw this film at last year's Tribeca Film Festival, and it was, by far, the best movie at the whole festival. Before going in, all I knew was that The Eclipse was written and directed by playwright Conor McPherson. Not only does this film showcase McPherson's film-making talent, but it is also character actor Ciaran Hinds' first leading role--who ended up winning the Best Actor Award at the end of the TFF. The film is a love story, a tragedy, and a little bit of a thriller. It blends all of these elements not only flawlessly, but effectively! You never know what to expect as each new scene unfolds, and as a result, every time you try to trust your sensibility towards cinema, the film does a 180º and we are suddenly in the middle of a horror film. If that's not engaging cinema, i don't know what is! While I admit the "widowed father" set up is a bit tired, the film is so much better than that, and you sort of forget about that element once the film begins to move (unlike, The Boys Are Back). Finally, with all of the elements considered, the film is a mere 88 minutes long. McPherson is able to mess with our sensibilities, throw in story elements from left and right, create fleshed out characters, and do it all within a small running time--the work of a true craftsman. Ultimately, The Eclipse is a film that is not to be missed. Magnolia took their sweet time releasing this little gem, and I'm so happy to finally see it in limited release and OnDemand. I wish it would get the bigger treatment that it deserves, but if you can find it, by all means see it.
Suspenseful domestic drama in the guise of a ghost story
This chilling and thoughtful thriller from top Irish playwright McPherson exemplifies what movie makers who've earned their chops on the stage can bring to the big screen. The characters are three-dimensional; sharp, efficient dialog defines the relationships and moves the plot forward; life in a recently bereaved family, a small Irish town, and a literary festival is acutely observed. The Eclipse maintains a spooky tension throughout and in a few instances will have you jumping out of your skin. (One minor criticism: Loud incidental music is constantly deployed to manipulate viewers, a perennial flaw of many mystery and horror films.) However, this is not a traditional ghost story but a psychological drama filtered through the perspective of the widowed father masterfully portrayed by Ciaran Hinds. It's probably not too much of a stretch to compare The Eclipse to In Bruges, the debut film of Martin McDonagh, another acclaimed U.K. dramatist, in the way it exploits the conventions of genre even as it defies formula to tell a more original, gratifying story. A bonus: The cathedral-dominated town of Cobh, Cork County, provides a stunningly picturesque backdrop to The Eclipse, while adding to the overall isolated, claustrophobic atmosphere.
There Is Nothing Like This
This movie manages to be a really satisfying love story and an absolutely terrifying ghost story all at once. The criminally underrated Ciaran Hinds (who won the Best Actor Award at the Tribeca Film Festival for this) plays a woodwork teacher who has recently been widowed. He is bringing up his two kids and trying to get on with his life, but he is experiencing strange paranormal events. I won't give anything away but the movie leaves it to the viewer to decide if these are real ghosts or a result of his own internal journey to resolution. He meets a writer of horror novels called Lena Morelle (played by the really likable Iben Hjelje - remember her in High Fidelity?) when he volunteers at a local literary festival. He shares his experiences with her as their relationship develops, but she has to contend with another writer (a brilliant Aidan Quinn) who has come to the festival to re-ignite an affair they had in the past. The drama plays out against the backdrop of a beautifully shot Irish coastal town. The cinematography is just top-notch. The score is really haunting choral music. I was reminded of movies like The Exorcist or The Shining when I saw this -- the drama is real -- the horror is real. But this film is very original too. I was not surprised to see it get picked up for a US release. Could be a future classic.