Tribeca Review: Lost at Sea in “Beacon”

By Abe Friedtanzer 

Sailing around the world is a bold adventure that few are equipped to undertake and even fewer would even seriously contemplate. The likelihood of survival given unpredictable factors isn’t high, and that’s especially true for someone choosing to do it alone. Beacon presents one scenario where a young and driven woman tries to accomplish the feat only to find herself stranded somewhere with a man who seems nice enough but who she really isn’t sure she can trust…

Julia Goldani Telles is Emily, who is seen only briefly on her grand voyage before she wakes up in a lighthouse, apparently shipwrecked and in the care of Ismael (Demián Bichir). Bad weather has made it impossible to reach the outside world, so Emily is forced to accept what Ismael tells her about what has happened and what the chances of her being rescued are. As they spend time together and get to know each other, troubling hints of inconsistencies in Ismael’s stories make Emily start to think that no one is ever coming to save her.

Director Roxy Shih’s film is immediate reminiscent of other projects that involve being stranded on a remote island with no way to verify what’s actually happening back in the real world. Chief among them is The Lighthouse, though this film is nowhere near as nightmarish even as it does watch its characters begin to come undone. A more apt comparison might be the haunting Mayday, particularly because of an early warning from Ismael about being wary of sirens, giving a film that might otherwise just be foreboding and frightening for literal reasons a hint of supernatural doom. 

The trouble with a film with an interesting hook like this is that it’s hard to reach an ending that feels entirely satisfying. This one does its best, and its final scene does indeed leave plenty to ponder and isn’t quickly forgotten. But the road there is most effective due to the strength of the performances of its actors. Telles will likely be most familiar to TV audiences from The Affair and The Girlfriend Experience, and she gives Emily just the right amount of personality to be determined but not pushy, taking in her new surroundings with the appropriate measured caution rather than panic. Bichir, an Oscar nominee for A Better Life, has constantly turned in great performances, and this is no exception. Ultimately, the acting may be more memorable than the story, but this film still has some decent dreamlike chills to offer. B

Beacon makes its world premiere in the Midnight section at the 2024 Tribeca Festival.

Comments

[MM]

Sounds like it has '10 Cloverfield Lane' vibes.

[Zohaib Arshad]

Thanks for sharing
https://crunchyapk.com