The Dark

THE DARK

Very loosely based on a book called Sheep by novelist Simon Maginn, The Dark (a 2005 film that was directed by John Fawcett of Ginger Snaps fame) boasts a haunting and stellar third act that is preceded by two acts full of clumsily-delivered exposition.  The plot follows a mother named Adelle who (with her daughter Sarah) visits her kid’s father (James) in Wales.  Shortly after Sarah drowns, Adelle encounters a young girl named Ebril near the home of James.  The viewer gradually learns that Ebril died several decades earlier and was brought back from “Annwn” (the land of the dead in Welsh mythology) by her shepherd father only to die again.  Somehow the death of Sarah has enabled Ebril to come back again (the phrase “one of the living for one of the dead” pops up in the course of the story).  Adelle decides she can bring Sarah back to life if she trades Ebril, so Adelle grabs Ebril and leaps off a cliff into the ocean at the end of act two.  Adelle finds herself in Annwn, and from this point to the finale the tale becomes utterly engrossing and terrifying.  I won’t spoil how the plot unfolds in act three.

If you seek out this film, be patient and know that the final twenty-three minutes or so are incredible.  The scenes leading up to the climax are sometimes boring, but the movie never veers so far off course that one wants to shut it off and watch something else instead.  There’s a lot to like in acts one and two: the gorgeous Wales locations and the music alone are worth experiencing.  The actors turn in solid performances even if the script sometimes has their characters making odd choices (when her daughter goes missing and is presumed dead, Adelle decides to go explore a building where sheep were once slaughtered).  I’m glad I checked out The Dark on DVD and recommend it heartily with the warning that the plot does not kick into high gear until the last quarter.