Seafarers are superstitious folk. It’s unsurprising, given the ocean’s volatile nature, that sailors would look for omens to embrace or avoid in the hopes of a safe voyage. It’s a failure to properly honor nautical superstition just before a shipwreck that kickstarts Beacon, a paranoid psychological thriller that traps two strangers together on an almost inaccessible island. Unreliable narrators create constant shifts in allegiances as superstition creeps further into the mix, but the ultra-lean plotting and horror elements leave the psychodrama drifting at sea.

Beacon introduces Emily (Julia Goldani Telles), a young woman circumnavigating the globe on a solo sail using old-school techniques. She hails from a long line of seafarers, though she’s the first woman in her family to continue the tradition. Considering the common nautical superstition involving women on board, that sets her off on the wrong foot. Then she eats her offering to the sea god Neptune. Cut to a freak storm that leaves Emily shipwrecked on an island with her rescuer, lighthouse keeper Ismael (The Nun‘s Demián Bichir). The harsh weather conditions leave the pair trapped together with no easy way to communicate with the outside world.

Cabin fever and mistrust set in as Emily begins to realize Ismael’s warm demeanor may harbor dark secrets.

Director Roxy Shih, working from a script by Julio Rojas, aims for moody, atmospheric tension in the constant push-and-pull between Emily and Ismael. Beacon lets its actors do the heavy lifting in establishing the stakes, tension, and horror. There’s an easy warmth and calm to Ismael that earns Emily’s initial trust and patience that instantly disarms. However, Emily is a young woman traveling alone, and not even isolation or injury can completely lower her guard. It’s exacerbated by the unforgiving weather and the island’s rough terrain, prompting Emily to question whether it’s Ismael or Mother Nature who’s isolating them from rescue. 

It’s a slow, steady progression of escalating mistrust and tension as Emily grows more frantic about leaving the island and Ismael clings tighter to superstition. Despite occasional bursts of explosive confrontations between the leads, Shih keeps the psychological turmoil more understated, letting the small details and performances do the heavy lifting. The more paranoia punctures the quiet safety, the more Shih layers in mythical imagery to instill doubt in both Emily and Ismael. It’s all a measured bid to land the appropriate level of shock for the closing moments, but it’s perhaps too restrained.

Telles and Bichir make quick work of earning rooting interest in their characters and just as easily instill doubt when mistrust sets in. It’s a consistent guessing game; is it all in Emily’s head, or are the hints toward Ismael’s delusional tendencies something to actually fear? Or perhaps the sea is still angry at Emily’s initial defiance that led her here? Beacon waits until the last possible second to answer these questions. While the reveal ultimately makes for a satisfying capper, the less is more approach means it’s light on horror and momentum.

The fleeting teases of body horror and a mythical element at play largely fall to the wayside in this character-focused chamber piece. Shih steers this ship with confidence, anchored by an effectively complex performance by Bichir, but Beacon is too minimalistic and its horror too restrained to fully engage. The potential for something more beyond a stir-crazy psychodrama never quite manifests into a full-blown nautical nightmare.

Beacon made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Release info TBA.