The Awakening – review
Ghostbuster: Rebecca Hall in The Awakening
This atmospheric ghost story-meets-psychological thriller by British director Nick Murphy – best known for his TV work on the likes of Primeval – is set in post-war London in 1921 and is built around the idea that after the fallout of the First World War, the loss of lives on such a mass scale caused many of the survivors to put their faith in the existence of a life beyond death – maybe a comforting way of keeping their lost loved ones close. This was both in the form of religion and also in the belief in ghosts. For some, the idea of apparitions living on another plain of existence may have eased the grief and loss, for others the spectres haunted them to their core.
The Awakening is about a sceptic who sets out to dispel the ghost stories and so-called sightings in the city and show the supernatural to be nothing but folly or paranoia. This sceptic is a young author called Florence Cathcart (emotively played by Rebecca Hall), who has penned a book called Seeing through Ghosts and has become known as the go-to girl for finding the source and cause of ghostly hysteria.
The film begins with Cathcart rumbling some charlatans in a séance-type scene, where she unveils the charade’s tricks and sleight-of-hand, which had aimed to convince others of the presence an apparition. Soon after, Cathcart receives a visit from a well-informed and bluntly honest schoolmaster named Robert Mallory (Dominic West), from a nearby boys’ boarding school, who wants her to visit his school and put all the pupils’ fears to rest after claims of an alleged poltergeist, which has haunted the school since the recent death of a boy on the grounds.
Cathcart is apprehensive at first and dismissive of Mallory for his forthright approach and tone, but is soon drawn to this opportunity to alleviate the fear felt by the tormented children and bust this ghost as yet another hoax or case of misplaced hyperbole.
She is like a female version of the character Ichabod Crane from Sleepy Hollow, as she has a similar methodical approach to getting to the bottom of the mystery and a range of intriguing contraptions for measuring and detecting clues and evidence. Like Crane, she also packs an extensive amount of emotional baggage and childhood-related trauma, which becomes evident the deeper she delves into the “case”.
The gothic nature of this film has led to apt comparisons to such stories as Turn of the Screw and the beautifully shot scenes around the secluded school make this a tense and engaging affair. The big rooms and corridors of the grand building make for bags of tension, spookiness and bumps in the nights. Importantly, the impressive performances from the key cast members draw you into the heart of this story.
It is an impressive debut feature from Murphy, who has elevated The Awakening beyond the realms of ghostly period drama to something more substantial. A special mention must go to Rebecca Hall – in her first high-profile lead role – as she echoes the troubled lady act she portrayed so well in The Prestige. This performance goes deeper and both psychical and mental torment is etched on her expressions in every scene. High praise must also go to Imelda Staunton (award-winning stage and screen star of Vera Drake), who gives an unsettling turn as the obsessive house-keeper Maud, whose role in the film intensifies as the film unfolds.
However, the film has drawn both positive and negative comparisons with the work of M. Night Shyamalan – due to the big twist that turns the plot of the film on its head. Without inserting a spoiler, it is fair to say that the twist is dramatic and one that, although impressive and emotional, asks quite a lot of the viewer to be convinced and satisfied with the rapid unravelling revelation.
It is a powerful climactic punch from a slow-burning, subtly-pitched ghost story, but The Awakening is a thoroughly enjoyable watch, loaded with elements of romance, suspense, terror and psychological issues and it would be difficult not to be moved by the finale.
The Awakening (15)
Directed by Nick Murphy
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Richard Durden, Diana Kent.
Running time: 107 minutes
The Awakening is showing at the Rio Cinema in Dalston until Thursday 24 November 2011.