''The Eclipse'' is a 2009 Irish supernatural drama film written and directed by

Conor McPherson Conor McPherson (born 6 August 1971) is an Irish playwright, screenwriter and director of stage and film. In recognition of his contribution to world theatre, McPherson was awarded a doctorate of Literature, Honoris Causa, in June 2013 by the Un ...

and starring

Ciarán Hinds Ciarán Hinds (; born 9 February 1953) is an Irish actor. Born in Belfast, Hinds is known for a range of screen and stage roles. He has starred in feature films including '' The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover'' (1989), ''Persuasion'' (19 ...

Iben Hjejle Iben Hjejle (22 March 1971) is a Danish actress, notable for starring in the Stephen Frears film '' High Fidelity'' (2000). In Denmark, she is perhaps best known for appearing in the Danish television sitcom ''Langt fra Las Vegas'' (''Far from ...

and

Aidan Quinn Aidan Quinn (born March 8, 1959) is an American actor who made his film debut in '' Reckless'' (1984). He has starred in over 80 feature films, including ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), '' The Mission'' (1986), ''Stakeout'' (1987), ''Aval ...

Premise

Michael Farr (Ciarán Hinds) is a depressed widower who works as a teacher in the small seaside town of

Cobh Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. With a population of around 13,000 inhabitants, Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour and home to Ireland's ...

, in

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

, Ireland, where he lives with his two children. While he continues to adjust to life without his beloved wife, who died two years earlier, he begins to experience strange, possibly supernatural occurrences connected to his elderly father-in-law, who is close to death in a local nursing home. When Michael volunteers at the town's annual literary festival, he is assigned to look after Lena Morelle (Iben Hjejle). Lena is known for her ghost stories, and Michael, impressed with the realistic nature of her writing, shares his recent experiences with her. While Michael and Lena grow closer, another famous author, Nicholas Holden (Aidan Quinn), a married man with a scandalous reputation, arrives in town for the festival, hoping to rekindle a brief affair he had with Lena a year before. As Michael and Nicholas clash over Lena's affections, Michael's supernatural visions grow more vivid and disturbing.

Cast

as Michael Farr *

as Lena Morelle *

as Nicholas Holden * Eanna Hardwicke as Thomas Farr * Hannah Lynch as Sarah Farr * Jim Norton as Malachy *

Billy Roche Billy Roche (born 11 January 1949) is an Irish playwright and actor. He was born and still lives in Wexford and most of his writings are based there. Originally a singer with The Roach Band, he turned to writing in the 1980s. He has written a n ...

as Jim Belton * Hilary O'Shaughnessy as TV Interviewer

Production

It was filmed in Cobh, Co. Cork.

Release

It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on 24 April 2009 where, after reports of interest from several studios,

Magnolia Pictures Magnolia Pictures is an American film distributor. It is a subsidiary of Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's 2929 Entertainment. Magnolia was formed in 2001 by Bill Banowsky and Eamonn Bowles, and specializes in both foreign and independent films. Mag ...

secured worldwide distribution rights for the film. The film aired on

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

public-service broadcaster

RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís � ...

on 17 March 2010. It was released in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n cinemas in April 2010.

Awards

* Méliès D'Argent Award for Best European Film * Best Film & Best Screenplay Awards 2010 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards * Best Actor Award for Ciarán Hinds 2009 Tribeca Film Festival * Best Supporting Actor Award for Aidan Quinn 2010 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards

References

External links

* * * * * * * ''The Eclipse'' at Scope: http://www.scope.nottingham.ac.uk/filmreview.php?issue=19&id=1257 {{DEFAULTSORT:Eclipse 2009 films Irish drama films English-language Irish films 2009 drama films Films shot in Ireland Films set in Ireland 2000s English-language films Films directed by Conor McPherson