In 1920s London, renown author Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) has made a name for herself by debunking the supernatural, revealing hoaxes and exposing con artists. At the behest of boarding school teacher Robert Mallory (Dominic West), she accepts an offer to investigate the death of a young pupil, which may be connected to sightings of a ghostly apparition believed to be the spirit of another dead child.
Florence manages to uncover the cause of the boy’s death, which turns out to be far more tragic than anyone is prepared for, and also establishes a reasonable explanation for the repeated sightings of the child ghost. But something doesn’t feel quite right, and as most of the children return home for the holidays, Florence remains on the grounds with Robert, fussy school matron Maud (Imelda Staunton), and Tom (Isaac Hempstead Wright), a disconsolate young orphan.
Frightened and lonely, Florence soon finds herself cultivating a deeper relationship with Robert, and begins to take Tom under her wing, perhaps recognizing something in him that the other adults don’t seem to notice. But as the investigation begins to turn up elements that can’t be explained away with logic and reason, Florence is forced to confront her own doubts and insecurities, leading to the discovery of long-buried secrets that will challenge everything she’s ever believed.
The Awakening is light on actual scares, but director Nick Murphy does a remarkable job of building suspense. From the moment Florence arrives at the school, the film is permeated by a growing sense of dread and uneasiness, with the gorgeous cinematography and haunting score combining to create an atmosphere of isolation and despondence. Unfortunately, the overall experience is stymied by questionable developments in the film’s second half, including the unnecessary romance subplot and Florence’s encounter with a sinister groundskeeper.
As a classic ghost story, The Awakening succeeds more often than it fails, thanks largely in part to a captivating performance by Hall. It may not be the type of film that gets your heart racing and your adrenaline pumping, but is certainly disquieting enough to work its way under your skin and stay there until the end.