Brooklyn 45

It’s difficult to look back now and fully appreciate the mindset of the early 20th Century. Western countries had entered the scientific age, but only just. Old superstitions lingered and there was a lot of speculation as to which of them might have roots in scientific reality. This catalysed a fascination with the occult which in due course sent the Nazis off on some very strange quests, and which influenced the way that people processed the impact of the First and Second World Wars. Large numbers of people lost their religious beliefs because of what they witnessed in conflict, and a strange melange of ideas coalesced to fill the gap.

It’s in this haunted world that Ted Geoghegan’s latest film is set. With the action taking place almost entirely inside one apartment – one room, in fact – it focuses on a group of friends, all with military backgrounds, who have come together to support one of their number at a time of crisis. Clive (Larry Fessenden) has recently lost his beloved wife, whose mental health had spiralled down after she became convinced that a German American family living nearby were spies. He wants more than comfort, however. He wants his friends to help him hold a séance, reasoning that even if he can’t reach his wife, any kind of contact with the ‘other side’ will provide reassuring evidence that her soul is out there somewhere and he can see her again.

It’s a gem of a role for Fessenden, one of the best actors of his generation, who is routinely overlooked because he doesn’t look bland enough to fit into mainstream roles. He delivers a weight of emotions right at the start which everything else flows from, at the same time as setting up a mystery for the other characters to resolve. It’s not a spoiler to say that the group does succeed in connecting with something supernatural, though Geoghegan approaches it with a light touch. This isn’t a spook show and the existence of the otherworldly is not the point. More important is the way in which the encounter functions like a metaphor for the wars. It transforms the characters’ worldviews and then we watch them try to deal with the consequences.

All of the characters here are complex individuals with detailed backstories. Anne Ramsay plays Marla, who works at the Pentagon in interrogations – Clive calls her “the sharpest mind in the military” – and walks with a limp acquired in a past bombing incident. Her husband Bob (Ron E Rains) is the quietest member of the group but sometimes the most insightful, a natural peacemaker who may nevertheless be less resistant to pressure than he seems. Her best friend, Archie (Jeremy Holm) is a former war hero – who makes no secret of being queer amongst his friends, despite the prevailing attitudes of the era – recently fallen from grace as he faces investigation over an alleged war crime. Then there’s Paul (Ezra Buzzington), who was with Archie at the time of the controversial incident but has plenty of troubles of his own, including a deep suspicion of all Germans which finds fodder in the dead woman’s tales.

There is horror here – indeed, there is a sort of haunting – but ghosts are not the source of it. Traumatised by two unspeakable conflicts in turn and by all the things which they have been asked or required to do in and around them, these are people struggling to realign their moral compasses and adjust to a peaceful life. There are no clear cut heroes or villains in what is a carefully balanced ensemble piece. Viewers can expect to find their sympathies shifting over time, and to disagree as to who deserves sympathy in any given moment.

Within the limitations of the setting, Geoghegan keeps the camera moving to surprisingly dynamic effect. We feel the claustrophobia developing within the room as trust breaks down, but it always retains a sense of possibility. It’s also full of gorgeously realised details which add further layers to the story, speaking to the loving relationship which has precipitated this crisis whilst informing us about Clive and his wife’s obsessions, the social history of the group, and more. A wealth of photographs on the walls remind us that we have not simply journeyed to a fixed point in the past, but are passing through a moment which has its own past, its own relationship with older history. The US is still a young country, grappling with its own identity. Brooklyn is a melting pot, but coexistence has never been more difficult.

Geoghegan’s most accomplished film to date, this is a fantastic showcase for some highly talented actors whose chemistry makes the viewer feel like a guest – or voyeur – at a long-established gathering. It packs in a couple of great surprises, but it’s the dialogue and performances which will keep you hooked.