The idea of a ghost story is always intriguing and is immediately mysterious. One simultaneously wants to know more yet feels the urge to run far away from whatever contains anything to do with ghosts. Now, ghost stories, that bring in complex family drama with a unique and subtle time travel slant – that’s something you don’t see every day.
The Island Between Tides is based on the 1920 play Mary Rose written by J.M. Barrie, most well-known for Peter Pan. Interestingly enough, the play, written near the end of Barrie’s career, deals with some of the same themes but from a more adult perspective. Add in the layers of loss, grief, and mortality, and you’ve got the makings of a story for which you’re not prepared.
Tides understands the setup of Barrie’s source material and, in a stroke of genius, doesn’t tell it. Not slavishly, anyway. This is one of those offerings that works well enough as an adaptation in that the general flavor and spirit of the story are achieved whilst allowing room for the filmmakers to put their stamp on the story, taking it in surprising directions that don’t undercut what the source material did.
The film is technically sound. The visuals and cinematography immediately stand out. The island of the film’s title is wonderfully captured in all its lush glory, evoking a sense of the otherworldly. Some of the shots have a very slight grainy quality, which gives the film a classic quality. Given this story’s ties to the 1920s, it doesn’t feel out of place, even though the movie takes place during the modern era.
The acting is good overall. Paloma Kwiatkowski carries a lot of this movie as Lily; she might take some viewers some time to get used to, but after a while, it isn’t hard to follow her on the journey. David Mazouz similarly feels like there are pockets of his performance where he is searching to find the right calibration for the character. Nevertheless, his intense presence is compelling. One never doubts the truth of the moment he is conveying.
Yet, perhaps a favorite character is that of Zinnia, played by Camille Sullivan. The way she wears the layers of life with and without her sister, being haunted by memories, is palpable. She is the beating heart of this movie.
The Island Between Tides is a thoughtful offering that may run at a pace that is too slow for some viewers, but enough moments punctuate the film that viewers giving it an honest chance will be rewarded for their investment.
The Island Between Tides premiered on March 7th, 2024. Cinequest: Film & Creativity Festival continues through Sunday, March 17th.
