ESP’s film critic Gavin Miller settles on the sofa for another small screen movie review…
With fledgling cinematic releases at a premium the quality of films hitting streaming services at the moment is at an all-time high – and this Canadian mystery-drama continues that recent great form.
When Abby (The Imitation Game’s Tuppence Middleton) returns to her hometown of Niagara Falls after her mother dies, she becomes obsessed with a fragmented memory of her childhood – a kidnapping of a one-eyed boy that she witnessed while on a family fishing trip.
She is reunited with her estranged sister Laure (Joker’s Hannah Gross) in an attempt to settle her mother’s estate involving the sale of the dilapidated family motel – which Laure wants to sell to local businessman Charlie Lake (Fifty Shades’ Eric Johnson) who has effectively owned the town for three generations – but her compulsive desire to reconcile her past starts to grow out of control when she investigates the disappearance.
When she discovers the missing boy was Alex Moulin – whose parents are famed stage magicians the Magnificent Moulins – Abby enlists the help of David Cronenberg’s (as in the famed The Fly director) local diving expert and conspiracy theorist podcaster Walter, to try and piece together this two-decade old mystery.
But with a legendary history of telling lies to see her through life, will anyone believe her?
One thing’s for sure, with some nice twists and turns director Albert Shin has eked out a taut psychological thriller that comes highly recommended, headlined by a solid lead performance from rising star Tuppence Middleton – who gives a lot more than her two pennies worth.
ESP Rating: 4/5
Gavin Miller
Cast: Tuppence Middleton, Hannah Gross, David Cronenberg, Eric Johnson, Marie-Josee Croze, Paulino Nunes, Elizabeth Sanders & Maxwell Mccabe-Lokos
Running Time: 1 Hr 40 Mins
Director: Albert Shin
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