31 days, 31 faves: The Dark (2005)

One of my very favorite movies is an obscure, little known film called The Dark (2005). It has had such mixed reviews over the last few years - a lot of them not great, saying it's a convoluted mess - but I have a soft spot in my heart for it for more reasons than just looking at Sean Bean for 93 minutes. Though that's quite nice as well, truth be told.

At once an dark, ominous film, The Dark deals with vague Welsh mythology and the mystery of Annwyn, a Pagan afterlife or purgatory. It tells the story of Adele (Maria Bello), who with her daughter Sarah (Sophie Stuckey) travels to Wales to try to reconnect with her estranged husband James (Sean Bean).

What happens instead is that Sarah goes missing after falling into the sea and a strange girl named Ebril comes into their lives, seeking the love and redemption she has been unable to get from her own family. The nature of Ebril's appearance at the same time Sarah vanishes is the central enigma, but the cinematography is the real star, wonderfully capturing the beauty of the Welsh countryside (in actuality I believe it was the Isle of Man standing in). I absolutely want to live there, abattoir or not.

So I leave you with my review here (because I already reviewed it earlier this year) and some screen shots that sum up the foreboding atmosphere the film just reeks from every pore.