The King Tide

The fictional Newfoundland town in director Christian Sparkes’ eerie drama seems ready to disappear like so many struggling real-life outports until local fishermen make a surprising find: an infant in a boat that’s been washed ashore. Ten years later, the village is prospering thanks to the mysterious powers possessed by the child now known as Isla (Alix West Lefler). Alas, some worrying developments threaten the stability of this unusual society, with Isla’s adoptive parents – played by Clayne Crawford and Lara Jean Chorostecki – wondering who they can really trust when it comes to their daughter’s welfare and protection. Working from a spellbinding script co-written by Albert Shin – a director whose own films at KCFF include 2014’s IN HER PLACE – Sparkes has crafted a uniquely compelling blend of allegorical drama, slow-burn thriller and East Coast gothic. (KCFF 2024)

Effectively eerie and insightful.

Hollywood Reporter

It’s a provocative and poignant narrative that simmers slowly, taking its time before steadily building towards a climactic inferno. The King Tide is fantastically unsettling.

Film Inquiry