Disappearance at Clifton Hill

After her mother’s death, a troubled young woman named Abby (Tuppence Middleton) returns to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.  She has recently inherited the Rainbow Inn, a family-owned motel in the city’s tourist trap town of Clifton Hill.  While there, the experience dredges up some long-suppressed memories from when she was 7-years-old and witnessed the kidnapping of a boy with a bandaged eye.

Sounds like the basis of a fascinating film, right?  It should’ve been.  However, too many developments prevented me from embracing this complicated tale.  Let’s start with the fact that Abby now finally decides to investigate this crime 25 years after she was aware of it.  That’s the first of many unexplained situations.  One or two is a mysterious curiosity, but ten or more becomes a muddled head-scratcher.

Director Albert Shin is clearly influenced by the work of David Lynch.  It’s a bit unfair because the work of his idol can be so unbelievably abstract that it almost defies critique.  On the contrary, Shin’s endeavor is rooted much more in traditional storytelling.  Because of this, we expect a certain amount of coherence.  The mystery is pretty convoluted.  A traumatic memory triggered by the return to one’s hometown is a solid foundation to sustain any great thriller.  I was immediately drawn into the production and enjoyed it up to a point.

Interestingly, Albert Shin along with co-writer James Schultz introduces one embellishment on top of another.   While in Clifton Hill, Abby is reunited with her estranged younger sister, Laure (Hannah Gross).  Apparently, Abby is a compulsive liar.  Laure understandably doesn’t believe a single word her sister says.  This is something we discover for ourselves when Abby arrives in town.  She immediately picks up some random man (Andy McQueen) in a bar.  Their awkward exchange results in a failed connection.  Nonetheless, they unexpectedly meet again when she contacts the police department.  Surprise!  He’s a police officer too.

Matters then become more tortuous.  Abby’s investigation turns up an array of various personalities.  Another person of interest is a bizarre character named Bev Mole (Elizabeth Saunders) who mysteriously holds her incapacitated husband (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) like a prisoner.  How’s about an additional complication?  We’re informed that Abby had been in Phoenix, Arizona for the past 18 months while pretending to have retrograde amnesia.  This is about the time I checked out of this perplexing mess.

These ongoing concerns about Abby’s psychological stability are such a distraction.  The mind tends to wander when faced with an incoherent plot.  I couldn’t help but notice how Tuppence Middleton is similar in appearance to actress Rooney Mara who happens to have a sister (Kate Mara) who also acts.  This would’ve been a perfect project for the two of them.  That’s neither here nor there.  Tuppence Middleton is talented and a solid thespian in her own right.

Some of the characters are pretty exceptional.  There’s a couple of cheesy magicians that are fond of tigers.  The Magnificent Moulins are portrayed by Paulino Nunes and a stellar Marie-Josée Croze.  Her overtly theatrical achievement belongs in a campier feature.  Let me be clear, Croze’s performance is an absolute joy.   She injected some much-needed levity in this pseudo serious drama.  Oh, and speaking of iconic directors like David Lynch, how about a different David — Cronenberg that is — who pops up as Walter Bell, one of the longtime residents.  He portrays a local historian, deals in conspiracy theories, and hosts a podcast.  He delightfully enters the flick while scuba diving for sunken relics at the bottom of the falls.  He also owns a diner called Flying Saucer Restaurant that is just about the kitschiest eatery I’ve ever seen.  Turns out it isn’t a set but rather a genuine place.  If I’m ever in Niagara Falls, Ontario, I plan on stopping by.

It would appear the screenwriters didn’t know where they wanted the narrative to go.  Let’s simply throw in everything but the kitchen sink.  Music and mood are the movie’s considerable strengths.   What elevates this neo-noir is the eerie and immersive ambiance that sustains the piece.  As weird as it is, I kind of wanted to visit Clifton Hill.  The original score by Alexander Sowinski and Leland Whitty is an avant-garde jazz piece featuring woodwinds and brass to create a creepy atmosphere.  It’s so effective. I would begrudgingly give this release a pass.  However truth be told, most people will probably be frustrated by the disjointed story.

05-05-20