Atmospheric Thriller Moored by Onscreen Duo [Tribeca 2024]

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Fantastic Performances from the Actors

Proof That Less Can Be More

Summary

Stunning central performances from Goldani Telles and Bichir that bring Beacon’s gripping tale to life.
Rojas’s emotionally charged script keeps viewers on the edge with tension and surprises throughout.
Shih and Wu expertly demonstrate that less can be more in filmmaking, diving deep into humanity’s darkest depths.

Of the viewer, Beacon demands total surrender. Sure, watching any movie inherently requires this, but at a time when theater attendance is depressingly low — for many valid reasons, certainly, of which a lack of theater etiquette is one — and when a multitude of distractions are at our fingertips during at-home viewings, it’s a contract between a film and its audience that, once unquestionable, is now facing extinction. This is a shame because Roxy Shih’s shipwreck tale, making its premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, is an atmospheric thriller that is worth total immersion.

Starring an incredible onscreen duo, made up of Demián Bichir and Julia Goldani Telles, Beacon sees young sailor Emily (Goldani Telles) on a solo journey to circumnavigate the world. It’s a family tradition, and the recent death of her father has undoubtedly spurred this decision. As she travels through the waters of coastal South America, however, an intense storm breaks and her ship is taken under by a giant wave. Disoriented and in pain — there’s a trail of fresh stitches running down her thigh — Emily wakes up on a remote island in a cabin that has seen better days.

Her rescuer is Ismael (Bichir), a weathered old man, who is the only person living on this island and the keeper of its lighthouse. He nurses Emily back to full health, but the storm outside continues to rage on, rendering any communication to officials on the mainland — the most advanced form of technology is a radio — impossible. Emily has no choice but to put her trust in Ismael, but as caring as he is, there’s also a dark and mysterious side to him. What’s more, strange occurrences on the island start to make Emily feel unsafe.

Fantastic Performances from the Actors

Beacon

3.5/5

Release Date June 8, 2024

Runtime 1h 36m

Writers Julio Rojas

Pros

Excellent central performances
Creepy and tense atmosphere
Does a lot with a limited scope

Cons

The exploration of myth sometimes loses its way

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Part of the magic of Beacon lies in its onscreen duo who complement each other perfectly. As Emily, Goldani Telles is magnificent to watch, deftly navigating her character’s turmoil. On one hand, there’s an increasing desperation — to escape her grief from losing her father, to survive on the island, to uncover whatever Ismael’s hiding, and, most importantly, to not lose herself in the process — that risks becoming her ultimate downfall. But then, on the other hand, there’s a steadfastness with which she regains control of herself and her circumstances, and turns the tides on her predicament. Even when she’s down, you never at all feel tempted to count her out.

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Opposite Goladni Telles, Bichir crafts a perfectly complex character in Ismael. His time at sea and on the island has taken a physical and mental toll on him, and it’s clear that the actor relishes such an all-encompassing part. Bichir’s performance brings us to the edge of our humanity, showing us what happens when we stand in the storm for too long, but, just as easily, exposes our core (it’s evident that he is driven by a sense of duty and tradition, and he deeply cares for Emily). It’s a brilliant performance that commands attention.

Naturally, praise also goes to screenwriter Julio Rojas. Taking us to a place where humans are no match for nature — and, frankly, where humans are no match for themselves — Beacon’s script pulls like a continually tightening rope, the tension taut and always on the brink of snapping. It’s not easy to create such an emotionally charged tale between only two characters without falling into narrative shortcuts or stereotypes, and Rojas has produced a story that will keep you guessing.

Beacon follows Emily (Julia Goldani Telles), a sailor shipwrecked on an island whose sole inhabitant is the mysterious Ismael (Demián Bichir).

Proof That Less Can Be More

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Where Beacon somewhat falters is in its inclusion of the mythical. As a seaman through and through, Ismael holds tightly to certain traditions (or superstitions, depending on your belief system) of the sea, from keeping candles lit at night to ward off sirens to prohibiting Emily from brushing her hair (as this is believed to attract sirens). There is also, in fact, a subplot that involves Emily even being a siren herself (a wound on her abdomen is not a wound at all, but the site of scale growth).

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In truth, these mythical forays are undoubtedly interesting, and they bring Beacon into liminal space horror territory, especially when you consider that the island itself exists somewhere between the human and natural worlds. However, these elements are tenuous, especially when compared to the consideration being shown towards Emily and Ismael’s interpersonal relationship.

Indeed, Beacon shines because of the constant ebb-and-flow between the two: both Emily and Ismael are the protagonists and antagonists of the story, always one or the other depending on the moment. It’s this emotional shape-shifting that exemplifies Shih as a filmmaker to watch. There’s not much she has at her disposal here — a cabin, a lighthouse, and two actors — but she and cinematographer Daphne Qin Wu prove that less can actually be more when it comes to filmmaking. They dive into the deepest and darkest depths of humanity, showing us that, while the weather outside may rage on, it’s the storms we deal with on the inside that can rip us apart.

Beacon premiered at Tribeca on June 8. For more information on the film, including screenings and tickets, visit the festival website.

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