As regular readers already know, we'll pretty much watch anything with the talented Rebecca Hall, and while her choices can sometimes be spotty ("Lay The Favorite," "A Bag Of Hammers") she's always a worthwhile presence. And thus our interest in the period-horror piece "The Awakening," which on the face of it looks fairly standard but as the trailer reveals, promises to be something with a bit more meat on its bones.
Co-starring Dominic West and Imelda Staunton, the story centers on Florence Cathcart (Hall), an author and professional ghost debunker in post-World War One London, who's approached by a teacher (West) at a boy's boarding school, who believes his charges are being tormented by an honest-to-god ghost. Florence packs her scientific kit and seemingly finds a rational explanation, but soon finds her skepticism challenged. Behind the camera there's some strong talent as well, with "A Single Man" DoP Eduard Grau lensing the film (and it does look pretty great). Reviews out of TIFF last year were mostly positive, and while we had issues with it when we caught it in London, we said "the film's flaws are outweighed by its atmospheric pleasures, pleasures that turn out to be disarmingly moving at the same time."
You'll be able to see for yourself when "The Awakening" opens on August 10th. Watch below.