The darkest place is within...
2021-06-03
N/A
93 min
London, 1974. As Britain prepares for electrical blackouts to sweep across the country, trainee nurse Val arrives for her first day at the crumbling East London Royal Infirmary. With most of the patients and staff evacuated to another hospital, Val is forced to work the night shift, finding herself in a dark, near empty building. Within these walls lies a deadly secret, forcing Val to face both her own traumatic past and deepest fears.
Great premise, strong acting and effective atmosphere completely undermined by a bland screenplay that has no faith in it's audience. The first 30 minutes of The Power is really engaging. The strong cast led by the extremely charismatic Rose Williams as Val carries the movie through the standard expository section of the plot. Unfortunately, once this ghost story gets into it's second act the movie devolves into a series of cliché's, poor plotting and heavy-handed monologues. The script is all text and zero subtext. Instead of generating a sense of the uncanny or ominous feeling, The Power leaves the audience with the impact of an after school special. Strong window dressing with all of the depth and emotional resonance of a cardboard sign on the side of the road.
