Disappearance at Clifton Hill (2019)

Disappearance at Clifton Hill: Directed by Albert Shin. With Addison Tymec, Mikayla Radan, Tim Beresford, Janet Porter. Follows a troubled young woman returning to her hometown of Niagara Falls, where the memory of a long-ago kidnapping quickly ensnares her.

“The third (but first recognized) directional feature by Albert Shin, u0026quot;Disappearance at Clifton Hillu0026quot;, provides a subtle but effective slow-burning small town mystery / psychological drama / modern noir thriller, albeit one thatu0026#39;s potential is only half realized. With great attention for detail (and a little less for the bigger picture), competent performances, intriguing setting u0026amp; atmospheric cinematography and sound design u0026quot;Disappearance at Clifton Hillu0026quot; should please the fans of oddball indie thrillers.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is, in its structure and essence, more or less, a standard mystery, but a good one, with bonus style points. The small town – faded town backdrop adds another point, and so does the pleasantly complicated and conflicted lead character of Abby, portrayed by Tuppence Middleton. The story is intriguing and compelling enough, but starts to fizzle out a bit towards the end with the screenwriters pulling a minor clutch with the very last scene. Throughout the movie, Abby sometimes connects the dots too easily and some moments in the rather serious and morbid story should have felt a little heavier than they did. You could say u0026quot;Disappearance at Clifton Hillu0026quot; pulls a few punches. Nevertheless, director Albert Shin knows how to orchestrate this symphony and every scene feels careful, peculiar, atmosphere-rich. Despite the never dissatisfactory eccentric detail and all the tasty, subtle flavor, the movie frequently tends to get lost in itself, resulting in u0026quot;the bigger pictureu0026quot; being overly convoluted on surface while actually being relatively flat below. Technical side doesnu0026#39;t disappoint though, the original score by Alex Sowinski and Leland Whitty works wonders and is a major player in achieving the movieu0026#39;s peculiar atmosphere. The cinematography earns a compliment or two as well, u0026quot;Disappearance at Clifton Hillu0026quot; manages to excel at visually portraying a historically glowing, but faded and decaying community with a sparkle of unfamiliar nostalgia here and there. The audiovisual and aesthetical work on this movie rests on the level which I simply call top tier indie stuff.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn the end u0026quot;Disappearance at Clifton Hillu0026quot; stays above average and just more to impress with than to underwhelm with. Definitely recommended to the fans of indie mysteries, oddball thrillers and small town hurts. My rating:”