Blind pianist Sofia overhears a struggle in the apartment above hers that leads to the death of her neighbor Veronique. It is the start of a journey that pulls Sofia out of her depth and brings her into contact with Veronique’s father, Zoran Radic, a Serbian businessman accused of being a war criminal. Sofia is drawn into a dangerous world of corruption, investigating police, hitmen and the Russian mafia—a world with links to Sofia’s own hidden past and a path of revenge she has kept hidden until now.
Sofia is depicted as living in Maida Vale, London, where scenes were shot for the film, including a flower shop on Lauderdale Road which was converted to act as a café. Sofia and Veronique’s building is located in Bramham Gardens, Kensington. Other filming locations included Brompton Cemetery, Ealing Hospital, the Thames Embankment, New Zealand House and the National Gallery.
In February 2018, Vertical Entertainment acquired US distribution rights to the film. The film was released on 25 May 2018 in the United States. In the United Kingdom, the film was released on 6 July 2018 by Shear Entertainment. In the United Kingdom, the film grossed £1,550 in its opening week from 10 theaters.
Film Review for In Darkness
Thrillers featuring blind women in peril have long been a genre staple, with examples including Wait Until Dark, See No Evil and Blink, among others. Actress Natalie Dormer has crafted an effectively similar vehicle for herself in the film she’s co-scripted with director Anthony Byrne. Featuring a strong performance by the veteran of Game of Thrones and The Tudors as the blind “witness” to a possible murder who proves far less vulnerable than she initially seems, In Darkness proves a diverting suspenser that should be particularly popular in home-viewing formats.
Dormer plays Sofia, a blind, or at least visually impaired (she can make out shapes), pianist who, in one of the movie’s slyer moments, is initially seen playing with an orchestra in a recording session for a suspense film score. Sofia has a friendly but casual relationship with her beautiful upstairs neighbor Veronique (paparazzi favorite Emily Ratajkowski), who she can always recognize by her distinctive perfume.
One night, Sofia hears a struggle in Veronique’s apartment, followed by her neighbor’s fall to her death from the window above. The ensuing extensive media coverage reveals that Veronique’s father is a Serbian businessman (Jan Bijvoet) accused of war crimes.
A rumpled detective (Neil Maskell) comes calling on Sofia in the hope that despite her condition she’ll be able to provide clues about the murderer. He also asks the perennial question addressed to blind people: Has the loss of their sight sharpened their other senses?
The possible killer, Marc (Ed Skrein, who attempted to fill Jason Statham’s shoes in the Transporter franchise), strikes up a friendly and ultimately romantic relationship with Sofia. He hopes to find out what she’s told the police and whether she knows the whereabouts of a USB flash drive that serves as the film’s MacGuffin. His criminal cohort is his sister Alex (Joely Richardson), who demonstrates a ruthlessness that surpasses his.
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The film infuses its fairly generic storyline with some audacious stylistic devices, such as a sequence intercutting the ritual religious washing of Veronique’s corpse with images of Sofia showering, the latter complete with gratuitous nudity. Sofia’s visual impairment is also subtly reflected in the film’s heightened sound design and such scenes as when she’s attacked by a gang of toughs and all we see are violently moving shadows on a wall. Director Byrne reveals his flair for staging violent mayhem in an elaborately choreographed kidnapping sequence.
In Darkness ultimately tries too hard to provide twists with a series of revelations — about Sofia and her real motivations, in particular — that feel more grafted on than organic. But before the film succumbs to those overindulgences, it’s a reasonably taut, effective thriller that benefits greatly from Dormer’s strong performance as the beleaguered heroine.
Richardson also makes a valuable contribution with an entertaining turn in which she seems to be having a fine time. When her villainous character is informed by her brother that the witness to the murder is in fact blind, the actress’ cackling laughter in response seems to be squarely directed at the film’s over-the-top plot contrivances.
In Darkness (2018)
Oirected by: Anthony Byrne
Starring: Natalie Dormer, Emily Ratajkowski, Ed Skrein, Joely Richardson, James Cosmo, Neil Maskell, Amber Anderson, Jan Bijvoet, Bern Collaço, Lexie Benbow-Hart, Renars Latkovskis
Screenplay by: Anthony Byrne, Natalie Dormer
Production Design by: Sonja Klaus
Cinematography by: Si Bell
Film Editing by: Tom Harrison-Read, Paul Knight
Costume Design by: Nat Turner
Set Decoration by: Libby Morris
Art Direction by: Jos Richardson
Music by: Niall Byrne
Distributed by: Vertical Entertainment (United States), Shear Entertainment (United Kingdom)
Release Date: May 25, 2018 (United States), July 6, 2018 (United Kingdom)
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