Review of “Between the Lights”: A Subdued Romantic Drama with a Spiritual Aspect Reveals Hidden England

In a simple fable narrated by Michael Groom, a cynical woman encounters a guy with the ability to connect with the dead over the span of three Christmases in the North of England.

Hollywood rarely shows one aspect of the United Kingdom. Classics like “Ratcatcher” by Lynne Ramsay or “Kes.” and Unreal, prettified versions can be seen in films like Notting Hill and The Holiday. Market villages and bustling modern cathedral cities like York, which is home to old architecture and skincare companies like Kiehl’s, are positioned between the two stools.

Keswick and the surrounding Lake District are featured prominently in the spiritually tinted romance “Between the Lights,” most of which takes place in York. The film served as the opening night film at this year’s Keswick Film Festival and also played at Dances With Films in Los Angeles, where it was awarded the jury prize.

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The story revolves around a love story between Alice (played by Ines de Clercq, who exudes an authentic and compelling performance in her first major cinema part after a string of primarily tiny TV roles) and Jay (Samuel Edward-Cook, who is incredibly sincere and emotional).

While Alice and Jay get along well and are generally agreeable, there is a major difference between them: Jay claims to be sensitive to paranormal energy. He’s cognizant of the potential fallout and makes no heroic effort to win Alice over; rather, he’s a bit embarrassed to admit to this peculiar aspect of his life.

When he does discuss his ability, he does so in a calm, collected manner, backed up by a number of scientific theories that try to reconcile the reality of spirits with the laws of nature. Likewise, Alice politely and gently conveys her doubt. She refrains from making fun of it and instead continually explains why she finds it difficult to take anything seriously.

After a while, the film usually has to choose whose worldview to support in a faith vs. empiricism Mulder/Scully dynamic like this. The powers of the supernatural usually win out over dull old reality, which is fulfilling for the demands of an interesting story.

Regardless of your stance on such issues in reality, it becomes more challenging to appreciate “and there was a perfectly logical explanation for everything” in fictional works because screenwriters strive to make such revelations interesting (the standard endings of Scooby-Doo mysteries being an obvious exception). There is some speculation about how much of the paranormal occurrences could be mental, but ultimately, it proves what was suspected.

The film’s subtlety could be seen as a flaw. The relationship is well-acted and the leads are dynamic, but it’s also quite mild and subdued. Most nighttime noises are softer, more subtle knocks, and the spectral aspects are similarly understated.

Though the tragic components make you sad, they won’t make you cry uncontrollably. There are two memorable scenes: one that alludes to the “L.A. Story” road sign is entertaining, especially because the sign in question here turns out to be an elitist when it comes to grammar.

You find yourself yearning for some spine-tingling passion, rattling ghost chains, or hair-tearing sorrow; in short, “Between the Lights” could have profited from following its gut and cutting loose like this more.

The most memorable parts of the film are also its strongest, but it falls short of Stephen King’s elusive “must” factor—the hook that makes you say things like, “I believe I’ll stay up another 15-20 minutes, honey, I wanna see how this chapter turns out” (his own words). Given that, plus the fact that it’s a bit muted for purists of the genre, it’s doubtful that it will terrify massive crowds around the world. However, natives will surely marvel at the faithful recreation of their homeland.

Review of “Between the Lights”: A Subdued Romantic Drama with a Spiritual Aspect Reveals Hidden England

Dated July 5, 2024, this review was conducted online. Held at the Dances With Films Festival. The film lasts for 104 minutes.
Manufacturing takes place in the UK. An initiative of Laal Blue Dot, supported financially by Creative England. Micheal Groom, David Groom, and Salma Azzam served as producers. Gary Collins is the executive producer.

Head of the crew: Michael Groom. By Michael Groom and David Groom: Screenplay. Photo credit goes to Alex Stone. Thanks to Bruce Billings, our editor. John Dorr composed the music.

Assisting: Ines De Clercq, Samuel Edward-Cook, Richard Riddell, Alana Ramsey, Alexander Cobb, Naveed Khan, Siu Hun Li.