The King Tide

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The King Tide
Directed by Christian Sparkes
Written by Albert Shin
William Woods
Kevin Coughlin
Ryan Grassby
Produced byAllison White
William Woods
Starring Frances Fisher
Lara Jean Chorostecki
Clayne Crawford
Aden Young
Cinematography Mike McLaughlin
Edited byJustin Oakey
Music by Michael Brook
Production
companies
Woods Entertainment
Sarah Fost Pictures
Tip-Top Productions
Distributed byVVS Films
Release dates
  • September 11, 2023 (2023-09-11)(TIFF)
  • April 26, 2024 (2024-04-26)(Canada and United States)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The King Tide is a Canadian drama film, directed by Christian Sparkes and released in 2023. [1]

Contents

The film is set in a small island fishing village where a child turns up who has special, mystical powers, leading social order in the town to the brink of civil war as the residents disagree about whether the child was sent for a larger spiritual purpose. [2]

Plot

Infant Isla turns up one day in a shipwrecked boat, and is adopted and raised by the town's mayor Bobby Bentham (Clayne Crawford) and his wife Grace (Lara Jean Chorostecki), whose pregnancy ended in miscarriage shortly before Isla's discovery. However, it is soon discovered that Isla has healing powers to cure any ailment suffered by those who are near her; swarms of fish also swim to her when she's in the water, thus protecting the town's food security because it guarantees that the local fishermen will always be able to catch fish they had long lost to larger corporate fishing boats from the mainland.

Bobby, Grace and Grace's mother Faye (Frances Fisher) exploit Isla's power by carefully controlling access to her, essentially cementing their own status as the most powerful members of the community, but setting the town's doctor Beau (Aden Young) against them as Isla's power has essentially left him unemployed.

Ten years later, when a tragedy occurs that Isla (Alix West Lefler) was unable to prevent, social order in the town begins to break down as the residents become starkly divided on how to deal with the situation.

Development

The cast also includes Ryan McDonald, Emily Piggford and Michael Greyeyes. [2] The film was shot in Newfoundland and Labrador in fall 2022. [2]

Release

The film had its premiere in the Platform Prize program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11. [1] It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'World Cinema' section and was screened on 7 October 2023. [3]

It was awarded Best Feature and Best Editor at the 2023 Atlantic International Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

It is set to have a limited theatrical release on April 26, 2024 in Canada and the United States. [4]

Critical response

Jared Mobarak of The Film Stage wrote that "with potent performances and a gorgeous, textured aesthetic, The King Tide proves a mesmerizing experience above and below its surface. The camerawork keeps the horrors that unravel mostly to our imagination so we can continue to look at reactions rather than results. The terror here isn’t in just how powerful Isla is, but in what an infected groupthink that loses its grip on decency is willing to do in her name to unwittingly push her into discovering the full breadth of those abilities. When is enough finally enough? When does protection become harm? Because the love they all have for Isla isn’t for her; it’s for the people she’s allowed them to become." [5]

Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "whether the characters are forthright or devious, all the performances are in sync with the rugged seclusion of the setting, as is the rustic-meets-old-timey aesthetic of the production design (by Adriana Bogaard) and costumes (Charlotte Reid). Against the wild natural beauty, calls for “solidarity” are coded warnings against dissent, and promises of “a safe place” are, as Beau drunkenly and accurately declares, a load of crap. But whatever punishment he faces, he’s made sure to give two wide-eyed kids a glimpse of a bigger world." [6]

Literary devices and themes

The film employs many literary devices and themes such as magical realism and Neo-Luddism, the rejection of technology and globalization. [7] [8]

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References

  1. 1 2 John Hazelton, "Toronto unveils 2023 Platform line-up; ‘Dream Scenario’ with Nicolas Cage to open". Screen Daily , August 2, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Etan Vlessing, "Frances Fisher, Lara Jean Chorostecki Topline ‘The King Tide’ Thriller". The Hollywood Reporter , December 1, 2022.
  3. ↑ "The 28th Busan International Film Festival: Selection List". Busan International Film Festival. September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  4. ↑ Bilington, Alex (March 18, 2024). "UK Trailer for Mysterious 'The King Tide' Film About a Girl with Powers". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  5. ↑ Jared Mobarak, "TIFF Review: The King Tide is Mesmerizing, Grounded Sci-Fi". The Film Stage, September 12, 2023.
  6. ↑ Sheri Linden, "‘The King Tide’ Review: Frances Fisher in an Unsettling Tale of Supernatural Powers and Poisonous Groupthink". The Hollywood Reporter , September 11, 2023.
  7. ↑ Mullen, Pat (2023-08-02). "TIFF Platform Competition Includes Canada's The King Tide". That Shelf. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  8. ↑ Sobczynski, Peter (2023-09-17). "TIFF 2023 Features Round-Up: The Monk & the Gun shines". The Spool. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
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