The Eternal (a.k.a Trance) (1998)

An Irish-American couple, Nora and Jim, decide to go back to Ireland with their son Jim Jr. to rediscover Nora's roots, visit her grandmother, and try to recover from their mutual alcoholism. Unfortunately, upon arriving in Ireland, Nora discovers her uncle Bill has a taste for bog-preserved mummies, and his latest prize is a 2000-year old druidess who manages to resurrect herself, and bares an exact resemblence to Nora...

Now that I think about it, I really should have loved this movie. Not only is it directed by Michael Almareyda, who brought us the interesting but obscure comedy Twister (not to be confused with the natural disaster faux-epic of the same name), but it also manages to have a great atmosphere and some moments of excellent cinematography (for a movie of its budget, which I understand wasn't that high). A certain greyness dominates every scene in this movie, and it does indeed play up its Old Irish setting to the fullest. The castle in which most of this movie takes place in was also well-designed, with a realistic feel that sometimes mixes the gothic atmopshere with a more sterile, modern feel.

Like I said, I really should have loved this movie...but I didn't...

For one thing, the producers of this movie could be sued for false advertising. Not only is Christopher Walken's name presented as if he almost has top billing, but we also see his face hovering on the cover. Now guess how long he's actually in the movie...a full 15 minutes. I can't blame this on the director/screenwriter or even Christopher Walken himself, but it's still a cheap trick and one that will turn more viewer opinion against it then it deserves.

My main problem, though, is that the movie didn't feel...complete. The plot's half-baked at best, leaving a lot of threads that went unfulfilled and unanswered, such as: What the hell happened with Nora's mother? Does it tie in with the druidess, or it there an unwritten rule in film that every character of Irish origin must have at least one family member who dies in a car bombing? What exactly is the connection between the druidess and Nora's family (the film very vaguely hints that the family is directly descended from the druidess, but nothing at all concrete is offered), and how was the druidess able to establish a psychic connection with her anyway? If, as Alice says, the grandmother had lost most of her "witch" power, how is she still able to teleport herself around the house? As far as I could tell, Alice had nothing to gain by lying. And what really happened with Nora's abortion in America that caused her to meet Jim? All these questions, vital to understanding and expanding the story, are just left there in thin air for the viewer to ignore or guess on. Maybe the script was rushed, or the editing was really sloppy, but it's possible Almareyda was trying to give us a "challenging" plot. Unfortunately, I don't think in this case he knew the difference between a plot that makes the audience think and a plot that forces the audience to make guesses.

Then there's the characters, While I applaud Almareyda for exploring Nora and Jim's alcoholism very well by not taking the Beaten Path and depicting them as pathetic, abusive, irresponsible parents, it seems that their addiction is what dominates their characters. While it's not that bad with Nora (she also has a 2000-year old lookalike to worry about), the majority of Jim's scenes either show him drunk or complaining about being a drunk. The grandmother is your typical Old Country Codger with her most interesting aspect as a formerly powerful witch barely touched on. Christopher Walken is somewhat fun in his (brief) role as the creepy necrophiliatic uncle. The druidess just goes around and looks menacing. Amusingly, the film's most interesting and complex character is the young girl Alice, who also happens to be the film's narrator. There's a few characters that just stumble in (like the shotgun-bearing gardener who makes a *very* convenient appearance and Nora's old lover who brings up an interesting sub-plot concerning Nora's past that, of course, is barely explained), do a few things that barely effect the plot, and are then killed off or ignored. This is all very distracting, and makes you feel that you're only looking at the bare foundations of a much more interesting horror movie.


Choice Quotes:

"You're going to Ireland to dry up?"

-Jim and Nora's doctor

Jared Harris (Jim) played Andy Warhol in both 54 and I Shot Andy Warhol