Photographing Fairies

I was up late one night and this was playing on the Sci-fi channel. I happen to have a fascination with fairies so I figured this would be an interesting film. Indeed I was right The first film I saw pertaining to the story of two young girls photographing fairies was FairyTale: A True Story which was cute but I constantly found myself yawning and wondering when it would end. Photographing Fairies is also about the two girls capturing a fairy in a photograph, but instead of focusing on them the story really revolves around Charles Castle. Toby Stephens (whom most of us know from Die Another Day) plays Castle, a tormented photographer that refuses to do weddings because of a loss he suffered after only one day of being married. He sets out to find the truth, if fairies really do exist, and along the way he ends up discovering a world so precious and sacred that he'd do anything to keep it safe from harm. 8/10

If you have cable and the SciFi Channel, you may have had the

pleasure of catching this little gem. I kept seeing it in parts and

even in the little snippets, it drew me in and had such a haunting

quality. It was on the other night and I just sat and watched it all the

way through and despite the fact that I'd seen some scenes

before, it still held such a wonderful presence. It's hard to really

describe the movie -- part love story, part fantasy, with a little bit of

the Big Question over exactly what the afterlife is. The

cinematography is absolutely picturesque, almost like watching a

Merchant Ivory production, but with a bit of fairy magic thrown in.

Ben Kingsley is an interesting addition to the cast. I wish there

was more characterization done on all the main roles. You get a

sense of where everyone comes from in terms of motivation, but

more background would have made for a richer film. The pace is

sometimes inconsistent, moving quickly in the beginning, then

slowing, then speeding up again. But the film's dry English wit

makes for enjoyable moments of irreverence. It's still just an

overall beautiful film. Very bittersweet and heartbreaking in

moments. The end is shot with such care and emotion. As

fantastic as the premise is, the heart of the movie is something

everyone can understand -- the loss of a loved one and the chance

to rekindle a spirit burdened with sorrow. A funny bit of irony -- the

actor who played Watson in the BBC Sherlock Holmes series is in

this movie and he plays (har har har) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Far better than I expected and wrongfully neglected. A dark and profound examination of agnosticism and faith that is quite remarkable, with unexpected twists and shocks. I very much recommend this film, particularly the performance by Toby Stephens who is, in a word, amazing.

What a shame that this movie came out around the same time as the *other* fairy movie. This is decidedly NOT for children. It's a lovely, dreamy, haunting, and sometimes erotic story about love and loss. The performances are fine, and the cinematography is often stunning. A high concept action flick, it isn't. It's often slow with lingering, seemingly meaningless static shots. And don't go in expecting anything cute or cuddly. Even the requisite children are a bit off-putting. But it's well worth sitting through, especially for the last few minutes of the movies, which had me in tears.

Occasionaly I am pleasantly suprised by the quality of a movie that I had never heard of prior to watching it. Photographing Fairies (or Apparition as it was tagged by our local Pay TV provider) is on such movie.

Toby Stephens plays Charles Castle (Stephens to me has some strikingly similar traits to Hugh Grant), who tragically lost his wife on the Swiss Alps. The movie chronicles his struggles to come to grips with her death and how the possibility of an afterlife (I don't wish to give the story away)makes him obsessed to prove that there is such an afterlife.

I was impressed by Stephens in this movie and am sure that bigger things will come his way. I was also impressed with Emily Woof who plays the romantic (if that can be said) support to Stephens. Woof was very good in the Woodlanders and continues her fine form here.

Ben Kingsley is also commanding in the movie and his counternance to Stephens desire to prove the existence of the fairies is the keystone of the movie's conclusion.

I tend to like movies that have story lines that I have not come across before. This is one such movie. The pleasing aspect is that the acting supports the plot which leads to a pleasant viewing experience.

This movie gets my thumbs up 7/10