THE ISLAND BETWEEN TIDES

The Island Between Tides is an effective ghost story that features strong filmmaking talents on an independent budget that gives a long forgotten J.M. Barrie an intriguing big screen adaptation with a Canadian twist.

J.M. Barrie is best known for writing Peter Pan, which has become a timeless piece of popular culture with countless film, television and stage adaptations, but another project of the Scottish novelist and playwright has captured the attention of the film industry for decades. His play, Mary Rose, which serves as the inspiration for The Island Between Tides, was originally seen by Alfred Hitchcock during its original production in London’s West End in the 1920s, and caught his attention to adapt it for the screen. Hitchcock was unsuccessful in making it for the big screen despite acquiring rights, due to a hesitant studio partner. The rights were later acquired by Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas, sharing a connection to Hitchcock’s production as Griffith’s mother Tippi Hedren was tapped to play the titular role in his production, but it was ultimately shelved as well. Now, over a century after the play originally debuted, Vancouver writing and directing duo Austin Andrews and Andrew Holmes have cracked the case and have adapted Barrie’s play. What unfolds in their film is a reworking of Barrie's play, giving it a chilling and enticing fresh take that features good performances and a visual beauty that makes this mysterious story about a woman disappearing for decades and reappearing one thought provoking piece of cinema.

When audiences think of ghost stories, they think of jump scares and terrifying moments that you won’t soon forget. And while there are some mild jump scares in The Island Between Tides, it is not that type of ghost story. Instead, what unfolds is a meditative character piece that focuses on time and the consequences of it. It’s hard to say too much about the story without getting into spoiler territory, as there is a lot to unpack in the story, but it's an interesting reworking of Barrie’s play by Andrews and Holmes who take the story of the play and use it as an element while retelling it in a more modern setting and fresh perspective. It’s done at the same time as thematically doing the opposite of what Barrie discussed in his most famous work, Peter Pan, was not about wanting time to escape and never wanting to grow up. Instead, The Island Between Tides explores the effect of time taken from us, and what unfolds is an engaging, mature and by the end cathartic exploration of family and time that is entrancing to get lost in.

Helping to capture Andrews and Holmes’ vision is a good slate of performances. Leading the film is Paloma Kwiatkowski as Lily, quickly capturing the fragile psyche of this young woman finding herself displaced in time, disoriented by the visions she sees and her connection to the island, and her awkward tendencies due to what she has experienced. It’s a tough balance to pull off without making the character feel pathetic, but Kwiatkowski finds that balance with a strength and compassion that creates a lead character you can’t help but care for. David Mazouz does a great job finding the demons within his character due to his connection to the island, while Donal Logue and Camille Sullivan bring to life their character’s confusion, hesitancy and conflicted emotion stirred by Lily’s reappearance after being missing for decades.

But perhaps the most striking part of The Island Between Tides is the natural beauty of the film’s appearance. From the awe inspiring vistas of the natural environment of British Columbia’s Prince Rupert, where the film was shot, and the vast coastal wilderness that gives a breathtaking location for the film’s titular island, there is a magical feeling to this land largely untouched by civilization shown on screen. It is captured by some magnificent cinematography by Dany Lavoie that uses the natural wonders and lighting of the location to the fullest degree, while also using darkness and shadows effectively to create some chills during the scarier moments of the story. Bolstering this is a strong musical score from Keith Power, who captures the mystery, magic and danger of the film’s story and the emotion of the characters with each chord progression to evoke both the directors’ vision and Barrie’s theme for this tale. The prosthetic work and practical effects for the film’s horror moments are impressive, and under the direction of Andrews and Holmes, there is more than enough in these sequences to get the hairs on the back of your neck raised, even as they run the emotional undercurrent of the story through every frame of the film.

It is clear that in bringing J.M. Barrie’s Mary Rose to life on screen that writers and directors Austin Andrews and Andrew Holmes were inspired by some of the most revered ghost stories in cinema like The Others and The Sixth Sense. And while they don’t reach the lofty standard set by these films, there is no question that the story that they have achieved in telling in The Island Between Tides is a haunting, resonant and entrancing ghost story that is certain to hook viewers from the first scene up to its final moments. Led by a strong performance from Paloma Kwiatkowski and featuring striking visuals, compelling direction from Austin Andrews and Andrew Holmes, and a haunting story that is both equally entertaining as it is thought provoking, The Island Between Tides is an effective ghost story that offers up the perfect amount of chills against a far more meaningful exploration of time and family.