Michael Farr, a widower with two children, begins hearing and seeing strange things in his house at night. The specter he sees isn't his dead wife, but rather his still-living father-in-law. Is it real or imagined? When Michael is assigned to drive for author Lena Morelle at a local literary festival, he meets someone who is sympathetic to the experiences he's having. There may even be a chance for this to grow into a romance.

The Eclipse is a mash-up of genres: horror/ghost story, psychological thriller, romance. Although I'm not especially fond of horror films, I still found the film enjoyable. That is in large part because of the experience of the whole film. The score, including some interesting piano pieces and bits of Latin choral pieces, fits the moods of the film extremely well. At times the cinematography is noteworthy. The acting is excellent as well (although Aidan Quinn's asshole of a character is a bit over the top.) But my enjoyment of the film also has to do with the story's ability to look into Michael's struggle with his grief.

Grief is often one of the most intense spiritual struggles people must deal with. The sense of loss can be all-consuming. Michael's father-in-law echoes many who have grieved when he says: "When you lose a child—Jesus, it's like there can't be a God." Grief is natural, and should be allowed its place within our lives. To try to ignore grief will never be effective; the grief will work itself into our lives one way or another.

In some ways, Michael has accommodated himself to his grief a bit too well. He and his father-in-law continue to share their grief with each other, but have not reached a point of letting the grief fade. Indeed, Michael tells Lena that he holds on to the pain because he is afraid of losing his last connection to his wife.

The haunting, whether real or in Michael's dreams, provides him with an experience that brings him to another person, and may in time allow him to release the grief that keeps him tied to his pain. His ghosts, frightening as they are, may actually be his liberation.

Although overall I found the film enjoyable, it isn't without issues. The mixing of genres doesn't always work as well as it might be hoped. Perhaps it's my lack of appreciation for horror films, but those scenes where the ghost is very active really don't add much to the storyline—and in some ways are a bit of a distraction. The film starts as a ghost story, but quickly shifts from ghost story to horror story, when the ghost story might well have suited the plot better.

Also, the rivalry between Michael and Quinn's character for the attentions of Lena doesn't quite make it to the level of romantic comedy. This aspect of the plot almost acts as filler to get the film (which grew from a short story) up to feature length.