Director: Albert Shin
Writer: James Schultz, Albert Shin (Screenplay)
Starring: Tuppence Middleton, Hannah Gross, Marie-Josee Croze, Eric Johnson, David Cronenberg
Plot: Follows a troubled young woman returning to her hometown of Niagara Falls, where the memory of a long-ago kidnapping quickly ensnares her.
Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Tidy Sleuth Detective
Story: Disappearance at Clifton Hill starts as Abby (Middleton) and her sister Laure (Gross) coming together after their mother passes away, leaving them in her will, with Abby not wanting to just cash in on the offer they received. Abby wants to continuing running the family business, only this brings back a memory for her.
Abby starts to get haunted by the memory of what she once saw back in her childhood, a boy kidnapped, only nobody would believe her, now she starts to try and put the pieces together, which sees her look into the local areas history to learn who the boy might have been.
Thoughts on Disappearance at Clifton Hill
Characters – Abby is one of the sisters, she wants to keep the family memory together even if the money would be better for both sisters, she has a history of telling stories that nobody would believe, which leads her down the trail of something she believed she saw as a child, a kidnapping. The deeper she investigates the more she believes she is going to learn the truth, going full sleuth detective on the case. Laure is the sister to Abby who has always been there for Abby and is used to hearing her stories, she does want her to stop the stories and just focus on her life once again. We do many different people that Abby sees as part of the story she is trying to put together, each with their own story.
Performances – Tuppence Middleton is the star attraction in this film, she brings her talent to the front and centre, making us wonder about her character’s mindset, whether her story is true or not, keeping us guessing to what she might do next. When we look at the rest of the cast we do get to see just how each character plays out without giving the rest of the cast that many scenes.
Story – The story here sees two sisters reunited to deal with an inheritance, only to clash over what they want, which brings back a memory for one about a kidnapping, a case that never got report, but they want answers about. This story does show how people can tell a story which does have truth despite having a reputation that might question that story, we see how this could change their lives and solving it could be the only thing that keeps them going. Strangely it does feel like we are watching a run of the mill detective episode, which leads Abby in different directions, with wild characters you simply wouldn’t come across in daily life. Away from that the pace of the story is strong and does do a wonderful job at balancing the idea of which side of the story is true.
Mystery – The mystery here comes from what Abby saw as a child, just whether it is true or not, it does have an interest case to which we are being left to see unfold.
Settings – The film uses the settings to show how close to the border everything is happening in, this will become key for the Niagara Falls setting during the film.
Scene of the Movie – Returning home.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Diner with the tamers.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting mystery that shows one person’s determination for the truth to put their own mind to rest, where Tuppence Middleton shines in.
Overall: Mystery Entertainment.
