The Eclipse is a 2009 Irish supernatural drama film written by Billy Roche and Conor McPherson, and directed by Conor McPherson and starring Ciarán Hinds, Iben Hjejle, Éanna Hardwicke and Aidan Quinn.
Contents
Premise
Michael Farr (Ciarán Hinds) is a depressed widower who works as a teacher in the small seaside town of Cobh, in County Cork, Ireland, where he lives with his two children. While he continues to adjust to life without his beloved wife, who died two years earlier, he begins to experience strange, possibly supernatural occurrences connected to his elderly father-in-law, who is close to death in a local nursing home.
When Michael volunteers at the town's annual literary festival, he is assigned to look after Lena Morrell (Iben Hjejle). Lena is known for her ghost stories, and Michael, impressed with the realistic nature of her writing, shares his recent experiences with her. While Michael and Lena grow closer, another famous author, Nicholas Holden (Aidan Quinn), a married man with a scandalous reputation, arrives in town for the festival, hoping to rekindle a brief affair he had with Lena a year before. As Michael and Nicholas clash over Lena's affections, Michael's supernatural visions grow more vivid and disturbing.
Cast
Ciarán Hinds as Michael Farr
Iben Hjejle as Lena Morrell
Aidan Quinn as Nicholas Holden
Éanna Hardwicke as Thomas Farr
Hannah Lynch as Sarah Farr
Jim Norton as Malachy
Billy Roche as Jim Belton
Hilary O'Shaughnessy as TV Interviewer
Production
It was filmed in Cobh, County Cork.
Release
It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on 24 April 2009 where, after reports of interest from several studios, Magnolia Pictures secured worldwide distribution rights for the film. The film aired on Irish public-service broadcaster RTÉ One on 17 March 2010.
It was released in Australian cinemas in April 2010.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of 83 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "An intriguingly unusual ghost story, Conor McPherson's Eclipse blends supernatural suspense with romance to create a satisfying, character-driven whole." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Awards
Méliès D'Argent Award for Best European Film
Best Film & Best Screenplay Awards 2010 for Billy Roche and Conor McPherson at the Irish Film & Television Academy Awards
Best Actor Award for Ciarán Hinds 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Best Supporting Actor Award for Aidan Quinn 2010 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards