Clairvoyant Bridge (2024)
| Clairvoyant Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Koby Mussett |
| Screenplay by | Blake McNeil |
| Produced by | Heidi Baines |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Bonnie Bell |
| Edited by | Sam Fern |
| Music by | Christopher Marshall |
Release dates |
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Running time | 119 minutes |
| Country | Elbresia |
Clairvoyant Bridge is a 2024 Elbresian thriller film directed by Koby Mussett and written and produced by Heidi Baines. Avianna Riley and Lachlan Porter portray Allisa and Vinson Baxter, a married couple who travel to Vongane following the recent accidental death of their daughter, after Vinson accepts a commission to restore a church. They encounter two sisters, one of whom claims to be clairvoyant and informs them that their daughter is trying to contact them and warn them of danger. Vinson at first dismisses their claims, but starts to experience mysterious sightings himself.
Upon release, Clairvoyant Bridge was met with widespread acclaim. It was nominated for several awards at the 98th Tofino Film Festival, winning Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Mussett was nominated for Best Director, while Riley and Porter were nominated for Best Actress and Best Actor. The film was also nominated for Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Direction. The film is an exploration of the psychology of grief and the effect the death of a child can have on a relationship. The film was renowned for its innovative editing style and recurring motifs and themes. It also employs flashbacks and flashforwards in keeping with the depiction of precognition, but some scenes are intercut or merged to alter the viewer's perception of what is really happening. It adopts an impressionist approach to its imagery, often presaging events with familiar objects, patterns and colours using associative editing techniques.
Plot
Some time after the drowning of their young daughter Elsa in an accident at their English country home, Vinson Baxter and his grief-stricken wife Allisa travel to Vongane where Vinson has accepted a commission from a bishop to restore an ancient church. Allisa encounters two elderly sisters, Mirriame and Ann, at a restaurant where she and Vinson are dining; Mirriame claims to be psychic and—despite being blind—informs Allisa she is able to "see" the Baxters' deceased daughter. Shaken, Allisa returns to her table, then faints.
Allisa is taken to the hospital, where she later tells Vinson what Mirriame told her. Vinson is sceptical but pleasantly surprised by the positive change in Allisa's demeanour. That evening after returning from the hospital, Vinson and Allisa make passionate love. Afterwards, they go out to dinner, and en route get lost and briefly become separated. Vinson catches a glimpse of a small figure wearing a red coat similar to the one Elsa was wearing when she died.
The next day, Allisa meets with Mirriame and Ann, who hold a séance to try to contact Elsa. When she returns to the hotel, Allisa informs Vinson that Elsa said he is in danger and must leave Vongane. Vinson argues with Allisa, but that night they receive a telephone call informing them that their son has been injured in an accident at boarding school. Allisa departs for Allengin, while Vinson stays on to complete the restoration. Shortly afterwards, Vinson is nearly killed in an accident at the church when the scaffold he is standing on collapses, and he interprets this as the "danger" foretold by the sisters.
Later that day, assuming that Allisa is in Allengin, Vinson is shocked when he spots her on a passing boat in a funeral cortege, accompanied by the sisters. Concerned about his wife's mental state and with reports of a serial killer at large in Vongane, Vinson reports Allisa's seeming disappearance to the police. The inspector investigating the killings is suspicious of Vinson and has him followed. After conducting a futile search for Allisa and the sisters—during which he again sees the childlike figure in the red coat—Vinson contacts his son's school to enquire about his condition, only to discover that Allisa is actually there. After speaking to her to confirm she really is in Allengin, a bewildered Vinson returns to the police station to inform the police he has found his wife. In the meantime, the police have brought Mirriame in for questioning, and an apologetic Vinson offers to escort her back to the hotel.
Shortly after returning to the hotel, Mirriame slips into a trance. Vinson quickly leaves. Upon coming out of the trance, Mirriame pleads with her sister to go after Vinson, sensing that something terrible is about to happen, but Ann is unable to catch up with him. Meanwhile, Vinson catches another glimpse of the mysterious figure in red and this time pursues it. He corners the figure in a deserted palazzo and approaches, believing it to be a child. The figure turns to face him, revealing that it is a child, though severely disfigured. When Vinson freezes in shock, the child pulls out a meat cleaver and cuts his throat. Dying, Vinson realises too late that the strange sightings he experienced were premonitions of his own murder and funeral.
Cast
- Avianna Riley as Allisa Baxter
- Lachlan Porter as Vinson Baxter
- Lauren Harman as Mirriame
- Ayla Clark as Ann
- Harrison Carter as Bishop Harris
- Oliver Baines as Inspector Jasons
- Aidan Whelan as Workman
- Jayden Whitworth as Hotel Manager
- Hamish Beahan as Anthony Henes
- Emelia Ryan as Rannell Henes
- Declan Connell as Carson Baxter
- Ella Wenham as Elsa Baxter
- Edward Dry as Detective Lassite
- Justin Hall as Child