Abby tries to enlist the help of her sister, Laure, in her investigation, but it is hinted that Abby has told her fair share of fanciful stories and isn’t exactly to be trusted. But Laure does prove a bit helpful. Abby gets close to the Moulins and the people who did the dirty work for them, including a woman named Bev Mole. Before the mystery can be solved, though, we have to discover the truth about Abby that she won’t reveal herself.
Disappearance At Clifton Hill puts an over-the-top spin on the murder mystery formula, what with involving a pathological liar as the detective and a family of magicians as the suspects, but this doesn’t make the film ever seem silly or distract the viewer from the action at hand. The way that cinematographer Catherine Lutes captures the gray tourist town of Niagra Falls lends quite a bit to the neo-noir feel of the film.
“…puts an over-the-top spin on the murder mystery formula…”
Tuppence Middleton’s performance is top-notch, but I was most surprised by was David Cronenberg as Diving Bell/conspiracy theory podcast host, Walter Bell. His narration via podcast episode moves the plot along. I’m wondering if giving him the last name of Bell is a shoutout to long time radio personality Art Bell, who also focused on mysteries and the supernatural.
James Schultz and Albert Shin’s script is a marvel, considering the complexity of the mystery that has to be dismantled. Although the crime in and of itself is entirely far-fetched, so are most of the crimes that happen in reality that leave us talking for decades to come. I’d say that Disappearance At Clifton Hill is a solid turn for Albert Shin’s first English-language feature. I’m looking forward to what he’ll do in the future.
"…on the first night, she finds an old photograph that triggers a disturbing memory"
