What if your child died a violent, tragic death? Would you want to see them again? What would you give for the opportunity? These questions and more are at the core of Wake Wood. It is a film about rebirth and second chances, from the newly reborn Hammer films.
Patrick and Louise (Aiden Gillen and Eva Birthistle) move to a small Irish town called Wake Wood after the death of their daughter. He takes over the local veterinary practice, and she works the pharmacy in town. It’s been nine months since little Alice (Ella Connolly) was attacked by a dog and killed and time hasn’t healed all wounds.
Arthur (Timothy Spall), the town’s former veterinarian, offers the couple a chance to see their daughter again. For three days, and not a minute longer, they will get a chance to say goodbye “properly” according to Arthur. Of course, by accepting such an arrangement things have to go badly, per the “So you moved to a creepy village and want to see your dead kid again” handbook. What starts as a moody domestic drama soon becomes Pet Sematary with a hint of The Wicker Man, only with none of the truly weird stuff that makes the latter film memorable and so unique.
The story doesn’t have anything terribly original to say, but smartly the screenplay focuses more on the emotional turmoil the death and reincarnation of the dead daughter causes than on the “horror” of the situation. Since the script isn’t original, it’s up to the actors and director to give us something to root for. Luckily, the actors are all good, and David Keating (who co-wrote the script) is able to keep things moving at a reasonable pace for a good portion of the film.
I was really into Aiden Gillen as the father. Usually these films give the mother everything to do, because maternal pain is naturally the most pronounced. But Patrick isn’t the usual useless father and Gillen fleshes him out nicely. The anguish of being torn between knowing what is best for his daughter and wanting to please his wife is beautifully drawn. Eva Birthistle is commendable as Louise, the grieving mother who will do anything to see her child again and gain some closure. Although we know as well as she does that there will be none, this is only a desperate attempt to take back what had been stolen from her, body and soul.
Ella Connolly is adequate as the daughter of doom, and it’s nice to see a child actor be something other than cutesy and cuddly. She is a brave actress and really goes for it. Of course, Timothy Spall just does what comes naturally and is a nice, eerie, but touching presence. I’ve never seen him give a bad performance and he doesn’t disappoint here. On a side note, when will this man play Alfred Hitchcock? If anyone was born to play another person, it’s Spall as Hitch.
The project has a really artistic bent and isn’t interested in being a gross out affair. Even with shots of dead animals and a few instances of violence against various villagers, it’s a surprisingly restrained film. The town of Wake Wood is a great location, and the photography takes advantage of the lush green landscapes and quaint architecture on display.
The Blu-ray from Dark Sky looks quite nice. The darker scenes never turn to mush, and the blacks never go grey. At the other end of the spectrum, the brighter scenes have a nice vividness to them. You can almost feel the sun and smell the countryside. The image is very clear, especially when it comes to details on the actors’ faces. I love a cast of character faces, and there is a nice collection here. Sadly, only a handful of deleted scenes, some trailers for upcoming releases, including the film’s trailer.
At the end of the three days, sorry I couldn’t resist, it’s a decent film, with some surprisingly emotional performances from some actors that really know their craft. Hopefully, Keating will get some better material in the future, as he clearly has a good eye and knows how to tell a story. For Hammer fans it’s miles better than The Resident, but doesn’t feel like the studio’s heyday turnout. But how could it? Try and leave the comparisons to other films behind because the film is worth seeing.
Film Score: 3/5 Disc Score: 2/5
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