Short Film Review: “Michael Solace” Contemplates Selling Out and Selling His Soul
The film blends reality and the supernatural world together, leaving the viewer unsure of what’s real and what’s merely a figment of Michael’s agitated imagination.

On 12 May 1978, Kate made her debut on Dutch television in a program that has gotten to be known as “De Efteling Special”. The amusement park De Efteling served as a backdrop for six songs of The Kick Inside: Moving, Wuthering Heights, Them Heavy People, Strange Phenomena, The Man With The Child In His Eyes, and The Kick Inside. On 10 May 1978, the Efteling was ready to open the Haunted Castle, the most expensive attraction it had ever constructed (designed by Ton van der Ven), and they wanted to promote it. In April a documentary featuring the Haunted Castle was made by filmmaker Rien van Wijk, who was eager to shoot in the latest attraction before it officially opened. Kate, who just had a big hit with Wuthering Heights, was approached for a television special that would promote both Efteling and her songs. This is the original broadcast of May 12, 1978. The original 16mm film is lost; this is a copy of the uMatic version that is the only version left.
The film blends reality and the supernatural world together, leaving the viewer unsure of what’s real and what’s merely a figment of Michael’s agitated imagination.
The French-born director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s strategic choice to entrust the interpretation of a conventional, feminine character to a non-binary actor pays off: Corrin’s Lady Chatterley is awkward, edgy, and uninhibited at the same time.
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This horror movie combines elements of horror and babysitting with Black representation.
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