Disappearance at Clifton Hill

Disappearance at Clifton Hill (initially known as Clifton Hill) is a 2019 Canadian thriller film, directed by Albert Shin.[3] The film stars Tuppence Middleton as Abby, a young woman who returns home to Niagara Falls, Ontario, when she inherits a family-owned motel in the city's Clifton Hill tourist district following her mother's death, and becomes obsessed with reconstructing inchoate childhood memories of witnessing a kidnapping.[4]

Disappearance at Clifton Hill
Film poster
Directed byAlbert Shin
Produced byFraser Ash
Kevin Krikst
Written byAlbert Shin
James Schultz
StarringTuppence Middleton
Hannah Gross
David Cronenberg
Music byAlex Sowinski
Leland Whitty
CinematographyCatherine Lutes
Edited byCam McLauchlin
Production
company
Distributed byElevation Pictures
Release date
  • September 5, 2019 (2019-09-05) (TIFF)
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Box office$25,084[1][2]

The film's cast also includes Hannah Gross, Marie-Josée Croze, Andy McQueen, Noah Reid, Dan Lett, Aaron Poole, Connor Jessup, Elizabeth Saunders, and Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, as well as filmmaker David Cronenberg in a rare acting appearance as a local historian and podcaster.[5] The film was nominated for four Canadian Screen Award nominations, including Best Supporting Actor for McQueen.

Plot

Abby is only seven when she spots a young boy, one eye gouged out, hiding in the woods near her home. He gestures her to be quiet, but a couple soon come to drag him away, throwing him into the trunk of a car. Heading back to her family by the lakeside, she says nothing, though over the years mentions it to her sister.

The adult Abby (Tuppence Middleton) is troubled; returning to Niagara Falls after the solitary death of her mother, she moves back into her mother's dilapidated motel, The Rainbow. Her sister Laure (Hannah Gross) wants to sell to local businessman Charlie Lake (Eric Johnson), whose family has effectively owned the town for three generations.

Meanwhile Abby starts to investigate the disappeared boy with methods mixing modern and old-school approaches. Soon she finds a name, Alex Moulin. She reads microfiches at the local library; obtains a VHS video of Alex’s parents; interviews local stage magicians, the Magnificent Moulins; and enlists the help of local diving expert and conspiracy theorist podcaster, Walter (David Cronenberg).

Production

The film was based in part on Shin's own life; his parents formerly owned a motel in Niagara Falls, where Shin has childhood memories of witnessing what he understood at the time to be a kidnapping.[6] However, during the making of the film, he faced resistance from the Clifton Hill business improvement association, because the organization feared that the film would paint the city and the district in a negative light.[6]

Release

The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival under the title Clifton Hill.[5] IFC Midnight obtained the U.S. distribution rights to the film and will release it on February 28, 2020.[7]

Accolades
Award Date of ceremony Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Canadian Screen Awards 28 May 2020 Best Cinematography Catherine Lutes Nominated [8]
Best Editing Cam McLauchlin Nominated
Best Sound Editing Paul Germann, Claire Dobson, John Sievert, Jason Charbonneau and Randy Wilson Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Andy McQueen Nominated
Directors Guild of Canada 26 October 2019 Outstanding Picture Editing – Feature Film Cam McLauchlin Nominated
Outstanding Production Design – Feature Film Chris Crane Nominated [9]
Vancouver Film Critics Circle 16 December 2019 Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film David Cronenberg Nominated [10]

References
  1. "Clifton Hill (2020) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  2. "Disappearance at Clifton Hill". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  3. "Tuppence Middleton, Hannah Gross Climb 'Clifton Hill' For Indie Canadian Drama". Deadline Hollywood. December 11, 2018.
  4. "Rhombus sets up next slate of films". Playback. July 29, 2016.
  5. Hertz, Barry (July 31, 2019). "TIFF 2019: Toronto festival's Canadian lineup a mix of familiar faces, exciting rookies and a starring role for David Cronenberg". The Globe and Mail.
  6. Simonpillai, Radheyan (August 27, 2019). "TIFF 2019: Clifton Hill, the movie Niagara Falls doesn't want you to see". Now.
  7. "IFC Midnight Nabs David Cronenberg Starrer 'Disappearance at Clifton Hill". The Hollywood Reporter. November 5, 2019.
  8. "Écrans canadiens : Song of Names, The Twentieth Century et Antigone en tête des nominations" (in French). Ici Radio-Canada. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  9. "Nominees announced for 18th Annual DGC Awards". CNW Group. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  10. Mack, Adrian (December 13, 2019). "Marriage Story dominates Vancouver Film Critics Circle noms". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
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