A Dark Song directed by Liam Gavin
“A Dark Song”, the brilliant first feature by writer/director Liam Gavin, is an emotionally charged, psychological, character-driven story that digs into depths of the human psyche. This uncompromising film is fueled by the blistering lead performances of, essentially, the only two actors to grace the screen. Sophia (Catherine Walker) is an emotionally damaged woman seeking, what, we don’t know, from Occultist expert, Joseph (Steve Oram), and is willing to go to any lengths for him to bring her to her desired results through a prolonged and painstaking ritual. In order to do this; after an exhaustive search for just the right spot, she rents out a large regional manor in the country on an expansive piece of lush land, far away from civilization, where the two can be left to carry out their painful and dark task in unattended seclusion.
Any medium of fiction that attempts to seriously explore Occult rituals runs the high risk of invoking moans, groans, headshakes and unintentional laughs, as the results can often be poorly researched, unrealistic and flat out cheesy. Gavin steers far clear of any of these pitfalls with a poignant and deft script with meticulous attention paid to Occult detail and the nuances of human suffering. The cinematography by Cathal Watters is both breathtaking and incredibly intimate, placing us directly in the middle of Sophia and Joseph’s complex and supremely challenged relationship, which starts out contentious, guarded and volatile, as understanding and empathy slowly grow over the days and months walled up inside the manor.
The country house becomes something of a character in itself, conjuring feelings of hope, fear and isolation, threatening to become a portal to the unexplainable and unimaginable. Production Designer Conor Dennison employs great restraint and precision in his design, creating a simple, but elegant house steeped in history that now feels alone and abandoned. The sound design plays no small part in bringing the house to life with creaks, cracks, echoes, dripping water and rusty pipes.
With the pristine script and the spot-on technical achievements, “A Dark Song” could still fail miserably if it weren’t for the courageous, passionate, and wholly believable performances by Walker and Oram. Even the slightest false note could derail the building pace, tension and emotional resonance of this powerful and moving story, but there is not one to be had. Catherine Walker, an Irish actress many might not be familiar with, is absolutely riveting in the supremely emotionally and physically challenging role of Sophia, which she attacks with fierce commitment. The first word that comes to mind thinking of Steve Oram’s performance is explosive. The English actor, who might be immediately recognizable if you’ve seen Ben Wheatley’s “Sightseers”, brims with a seething and unhinged intensity as Joseph. Where this constantly lit fuse stems from is something of a mystery, but clearly deed-seeded. He has an unwavering adherence to the rules of the ritual, which he has unquestioned faith in, and lashes out at Sophia whenever she challenges him or tries to defy his orders. What makes Oram’s performance so brilliant are the brief moments of compassion and pain when he lets his guard down, invoking an almost unexplainable sadness.
“A Dark Song” is a gripping, challenging and gut-wrenching film, artfully balanced with moments of sheer beauty and poignancy, and is also one of the best horror films of the decade.
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