What happens when a remote community takes in a little girl with extraordinary powers? Director Christian Sparkes and the cast of Frances Fisher, Aden Young and Alix West Lefler attempt to provide answers.
In this never-named coastal village, time has stood still. There is electricity and even a well-hidden TV, cars plying the small roads and running water, but that’s all. The islanders, of whom Bobby Bentham (Clayne Crawford) is the mayor, live withdrawn into themselves, without any contact with humans on the continent. When Grace (Lara Jean Chorostecki), his wife, has a miscarriage, the couple is desperate, as is Faye (Frances Fisher), Grace’s mother, who also serves as a teacher for the village’s toddlers.
Photo provided by VVS FILMS
Frances Fisher in “The High Tide”.
That’s why, when Bobby discovers a newborn in a stranded boat, he doesn’t hesitate. The baby will become Isla (Alix West Lefler) and will be an integral part of the family. A decade later, the little girl demonstrates astonishing healing powers to the point of depriving Beau (Aden Young, revealed by the excellent series Rectify and in which he shares a few scenes with Frances Fisher), the doctor, from his work.
Under Grace’s leadership, Isla becomes an object of devotion and the villagers sink deeper and deeper into a sectarian lifestyle… until the unthinkable happens and Isla loses her powers.
Filmed in Newfoundland by Christian Sparkes, The big tide benefits from fabulous natural settings which amplify the atmosphere of heavy mystery found in some of M. Night Shyamalan’s films. But the Newfoundland filmmaker never falls into horror or gratuitous sensationalism. Carried by the right actors – including Frances Fisher and Aden Young and the excellent Alix West Lefler despite her young age – this well-crafted psychological thriller satisfies fans of the genre.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
The big tide will hit the screens of the province from April 26
