When a photographer travels to a remote English village to debunk two girls’ fairy photographs, he finds himself trapped in a web of passion and intrigue that may prove impossible to escape.
Set beginning in 1912, the action takes place during and after the Great War.
“The true story of two English children who claimed they photographed fairies in 1917 produced two different movies in the late 1990s. Not as well-known as the earnest family drama FairyTale: A True Story, the English-made Photographing Fairies takes a much more adult angle on the incident. The film follows not the children, but Charles Castle (Toby Stephens), a young photographer who loses his beloved wife on their honeymoon. A shell of a man through World War I, Castle rediscovers faith when he is convinced the fairy photographs have not been faked (in a superb sequence reminiscent of Blowup). Castle makes a pilgrimage to the site where he discovers–in another vast departure from the other movie–narcotic flowers and erotic fairies that dazzle his sprit. Ben Kingsley costars as the down-to-earth preacher set to make his town right again. This first film by Nick Willing (TV’s Alice in Wonderland) is a rare undiscovered gem, trippy and elegant.” –Doug Thomas
Starring Toby Stephens, Emily Woof, Ben Kingsley.
Rated R