The new thriller, The King Tide, has just wrapped production in Newfoundland. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film aims to be deeper than most big-budget thrillers. The King Tide stars Frances Fisher (Titanic) and Lara Jean Chorostecki from Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley.
The indie centers around life in a small fishing village, which becomes eerily unsettling. Director Christian Sparkes elaborates:
The plot involves a child who washes up on the shores of a small Canadian town after a king tide. A king tide occurs when an exceptionally high tide occurs during a full moon. When the townspeople discover that the child has powers, many in the town think it may be their savior. However, the village becomes divided over this speculation, and a civil war breaks out among the residents.
“It’s always a challenge to imbue a well-paced thriller with deeper philosophical questions, but striving for that alchemy was the most inspiring and rewarding. And we had the right team to do it — between our cast and our crew and the small town in Newfoundland where we filmed — it was a very special experience.”
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The King Tide, in post-production, does not yet have a release date, but it is set to premiere first in Canada. Additional actors in the cast include Clayne Crawford, Alix West Lefler, Aden Young, Michael Greyeyes, and Ryan McDonald.
Christian Sparkes Aims for Nuance in his Thrillers
The King Tide director Christian Sparkes mixes his thrillers with themes of loyalty and familial support. In his 2020 crime thriller, Hammer, about a drug deal gone wrong, an entire family is at risk. The idea of risk is also described in the plot of The King Tide, with a civil war that threatens to destroy an entire town. Hammer is fast-paced, like a traditional thriller but possesses moments of a deep connection between the protagonist and his father. Sparkes’ first film, Cast No Shadow, is about a boy who faces pressure to please his imaginary friend and his father and is forced to make tough decisions.
The Canadian filmmaker’s projects take on significant events that potentially have grave consequences for the people affected. However, Sparkes films also include the ingredient of any good drama, discord with the people who are closest. The characters must think quickly and take action to survive. If Hammer is any indication of what to expect in The King Tide, the film may be more suspense than gore and equal parts drama and thriller. Hammer is available to stream on Prime Video along with Sparkes’ 2014 thriller, Cast No Shadow.
