Spirited Away
THINGS HEARD & SEEN I Celebrated literary thriller gets a haunting Netflix adaptation.
As viewers, we’re very big fans of Don’t Look Now and Rosemary’s Baby and the more creepy, psychological, supernatural type of movies,” says Shari Springer Berman. This may comes as a surprise, as alongside her partner Robert Pulcini, Berman is best known for writing and directing gentle comedy dramas like American Splendor and
The Nanny Diaries. But don’t call it a change of gear. “We’ve just never actually tried our hands at it yet!”
As far as first stabs go, Things Heard & Seen is not to be sniffed at. An adaptation of Elizabeth Brundage’s acclaimed 2016 novel All Things Cease To Appear, it’s the story of young couple George and Catherine Clare (James Norton and Amanda Seyfried), who move to the Hudson Valley in 1980 after he lands a coveted teaching job straight out of college. Their new home has a dark history – one that George goes to great lengths to keep secret from Catherine, alongside his own shady past.
Learning of the book shortly after publication, Berman and Pulcini were enraptured by Brundage’s infamously challenging prose, which weaves in
the philosophy of Swedish theologian Emanuel Swedenborg as well as the work of Hudson Valley landscape painter George Inness. The latter proved especially enticing as the picturesque New York river valley is literally a second home to the directors.
“We’ve always wanted to make a film where we kind of explore what we love about it – the landscape, and the light, and the spookiness,” Pulcini says. The pandemic even gave them the opportunity to finish work in the exact same location their film was set. “We could go for walks, and soak in the environment. We’ve never had that experience.”
For the narcissistic, manipulative George, James Norton was Berman and Pulcini’s only choice, after Berman observed key characteristics in his polar opposite performances for British television series Happy Valley and Grantchester. “I just think he has this incredible truthfulness and honesty,” Berman explains. “I don’t think he’s afraid to show a dark side. But he’s got a real, natural charm that is complex and interesting. He was our first choice from day one.”
It’s also a film that embraces spirituality, bringing into being a world beyond our own. “It’s a bit of a trope sometimes – is the woman going mad? We didn’t want to fall into that,” Pulcini says. “There is a strong, feminist bent to the movie. It’s set in 1980, on the verge of a lot of changes.” Of course, there’s more to Things Heard & Seen than your typical ghost story. “For us, what was very interesting was the metaphysical aspect, and the idea the ghost is not the scariest thing,” Berman teases. “The marriage is the thing that’s toxic and scary. It felt unique.” JF
ETA | 30 APRIL / THINGS HEARD & SEEN STREAMS ON NETFLIX LATER THIS MONTH.