Retreat (2011)

Kate and Martin escape from personal tragedy to an Island Retreat. Cut off from the outside world, their attempts to recover are shattered when a Man is washed ashore, with news of airborne killer disease that is sweeping through Europe.

Director:

Carl Tibbetts

Writers:

Janice Hallett, Carl Tibbetts

Stars:

Cillian Murphy, Thandie Newton, Jamie Bell

Cast

Credited cast:
Cillian Murphy	...	Martin
Thandie Newton	...	Kate
Jamie Bell	...	Jack
Jimmy Yuill	...	Doug
Marilyn Mantle	...	Mrs. Doug

Storyline

In a last-ditch attempt to save their failing marriage after the stillbirth of their first child, Kate, a journalist, and Martin, an architect, escape London for a retreat to the beautiful, yet remote and unpopulated Blackholme Island, which is off the west coast of Scotland. Fairweather Cottage is a place where they once shared a romantic holiday and the island holds fond memories of happier times. Kate and Martin arrive by boat, it's autumn and the rocky barren moors are blown by freezing winds and the before they've even settled in, the generator and CB radio communication start to fail. Their relationship is already fragile and anxieties are pushed higher when they lose all contact with the mainland and after a heavy storm, an injured man is washed up on the shore. Dressed in military fatigues and carrying a gun, the mysterious stranger regains consciousness and identifies himself as a British soldier called Private Jack Corman and he soon reveals that he carries a deadly message ...

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Plot Keywords:

island | virus | strained relationship | infection | pistol | 

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Taglines:

A world away from everything you know.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and for language throughout

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 April 2012 (Bahrain)

Also Known As:

A Recuperação

Filming Locations:

Gwynedd, Wales, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Magnet Films,Ripple World Pictures,Ripple World Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jamie Bell replaced David Tennant in the role of Jack.

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Goofs

As the sun shines through the gaps in the boarded-up window, the "sunbeams" through the dusty air diverge greatly. This would place the sun a meter outside the window. Compounding the error, the beams coming through the adjacent windows converge, meaning that there are two suns just outside the house.

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Quotes

Jack: Were you trying to be nice?
Kate: You're breaking my arm.
Jack: To get the gun? Or were you just desperate? How long has it been, Kate? How long since he gave you what you want?

User Reviews

Dark and disturbing, but disappointing ending.

As a debut writer/director, Carl Tibbetts' "Retreat" is a well made psychological thriller with steady increase in pacing that generates an atmosphere going from brooding to disturbing. Only accessible by ferry, the story unfolds on a little island off the coast of Scotland where a married but childless couple rents a rustic cottage. Soon after their arrival on the island, it is evident that Kate and Martin have seen happier times. A journalist, Kate is withdrawn but reveals through her writing that a previous miscarriage has caused a rift in their relationship. In an effort to rekindle their marriage, Martin tries to put the past behind, hoping happy memories of their previous stay on the island will seal their marital wounds once and for all. But as it seems, things get from bad to worse when their only contact with the mainland – a CB radio – malfunctions, and the cottage's power generator chokes out. Amongst all this, an injured soldier arrives on the island and amplifies their predicament, stating that an air-borne virus is rapidly sweeping across Europe. Claiming the outbreak to be extremely lethal, Jack proceeds to board-up the cottage from the inside, even as it dawns on Kate and Martin that their strange guest is becoming increasingly hostile.

Although widely comparable to the Nicole Kidman-Sam Neill thriller "Dead Calm", Tibbetts' work here is mostly captivating, relying heavily on portrayals from Thandie Newton and Cillian Murphy as the couple, and Jamie Bell as the antagonistic intruder. As such, acting is the pivotal structure steadily holding up the plot build-up. Bell is particularly impressive as an alpha male that goes on to challenge Martin's manhood right before his wife. As soon as Bell's character enters, we know the premise calls for psychological confrontation as two men try to outsmart each other. Add to that a fragile and hurting woman in between, and the stage is set for a tension built battle for survival. Tibbetts' screenplay also affords equal opportunity to Newton and Murphy as they each share moments of power in trying to outsmart Bell's Jack. This is evident that although there is a growing wedge in their relationship, previous problems diminish in size when faced with what they must now do to protect each other and their marriage.

With a good part of the plot carried out within the confines of the cottage, Tibbetts succeeds in holding on to the viewer's attention despite the fact that single locale films can become boring. Besides the aforementioned acting, what works for Tibbetts is the premise – a broken married couple alone on an island, faced with a life threatening situation where they are forced to reconcile their past, or die trying. With all the twists and turns in the second half, Tibbetts gives hope to the audience while simultaneously tightening the noose around Kate and Martin. This alone reduces viewer predictability while also giving the ending a disturbing albeit open-ended finish. Personally, I was hoping for a satisfying ending, but as it seems, Tibbetts may have had other things in mind like connecting the viewer with his characters and then brutally severing that connection; its like saying hope is as useful as a missed opportunity.

All things considered, this movie is a decent attempt for a film maker writing and directing his first movie. For a thriller, plot twisters keep gnawing at the nape of your neck, with some good acting swelling said plot with tense moments. Curiously, the ending may disappoint some viewers, especially those who are optimistic about feel-good endings.