News

A scientist dates a medium in Michael Groom’s ambitious supernatural romance that interweaves a trio of timelines

This low-budget supernatural romance, directed by Michael Groom and co-written with his brother David, is both full of feeling and admirably ambitious with its trio of timelines. Taking place on three consecutive Christmases, it starts with one in which perky scientist Alice (Ines De Clercq) dates self-deprecating medium Jay (Samuel Edward-Cook), juxtaposing and scrambling these threads corroborates his notion that all time exists simultaneously. In his words, we inhabit a “block universe” – which makes it sound like he’s played too much Minecraft.

In the first timeline, we’re parked in the York heritage section of the block universe. Alice and Jay weave down the Shambles and up to Clifford’s Tower as their affair gets under way – though it’s almost scuppered as she struggles to accept his clairvoyance. When vignettes...

There’s a side of the U.K. that rarely gets screen time in cinema. We see the unreal, prettified version in films like Notting Hill and The Holiday, and we see the grittified version in classics like Lynne Ramsay’s “Ratcatcher” or Ken Loach’s “Kes.” Falling between two stools are the market towns and busy contemporary cathedral cities like York, where ancient architecture houses skincare brands like Kiehl’s. York is the setting for much of “Between the Lights,” a spiritually tinged romance which also dips into the nearby Lake District, including Keswick. The film duly opened the Keswick Film Festival this year, as well as playing Dances With Films in L.A., at which it won the jury prize.

The plot concerns a romance between Alice and Jay. Alice and Jay have good chemistry and are largely compatible, save for one big difference between them: Jay is sensitive to paranormal energies,...