What did they see?|Feb. 03, 2012|United Kingdom | Canada | United States | Sweden|95 Min.|PG-13
Genre: Drama;Horror;Thriller
Description: In 1889, in the English village of Crythin Gifford, three young girls are pretending to have a tea party in their nursery. Suddenly, they sense an eerie presence in the room. Under its influence, they appear entranced and tragically leap to their deaths from the window.
Years later, in 1906 during the Edwardian era in London, lawyer Arthur Kipps faces his own tragedy when his wife, Stella, passes away shortly after giving birth to their son, Joseph. Four years later, Arthur is assigned a task that takes him to Crythin Gifford. He must retrieve documents left by Alice Drablow, the late owner of Eel Marsh House, a remote and eerie estate located in the marshlands, as part of the process to sell the property.
Upon his arrival, Arthur is met with hostility and coldness from the villagers. However, he finds some kindness in Samuel Daily, a wealthy local landowner who invites him to dinner. The innkeeper’s wife, who is also the grieving mother of the three girls from the opening scene, offers Arthur a room in her daughters’ former nursery for the night.
The next day, Arthur meets Mr. Jerome, who seems eager to send him away from the village. Ignoring the warning, Arthur proceeds to Eel Marsh House. There, he experiences strange occurrences: unsettling noises, a locked nursery, and the sight of a ghostly figure dressed in funeral attire. He hears the sounds of a carriage and a child screaming on the marshes but sees no one on the causeway. When he attempts to report these events to the local constable, his concerns are dismissed.
Later, two children enter the station with their sister, Victoria, who has ingested a deadly substance. She collapses in Arthur’s arms as he calls for help, but she tragically dies. As her father carries her body away, the villagers blame Arthur for her death.
That night, Samuel reveals to Arthur that he and his wife, Elisabeth, lost their young son to drowning. Elisabeth suffers from fits of hysteria, believing their son communicates through her. The following day, Arthur returns to Jerome’s office, only to discover that Jerome’s daughter has been locked in the basement. She angrily accuses Arthur of being responsible for Victoria’s death. Samuel dismisses these accusations and attempts to take Arthur back to Eel Marsh, but they are confronted by a group of hostile villagers. Victoria’s father tearfully accuses Arthur of having seen “that woman” at Eel Marsh.
Cast director: James Watkins
Cast actor: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer, Liz White, Tim McMullan, Jessica Raine, Shaun Dooley, Mary Stockley, Roger Allam, Daniel Cerqueira
Original name: The Woman in Black