There’s something about famous writers in films.

Our literary friends are so often given a raw deal on the big screen - Who can forget bed-ridden author Paul Sheldon in Misery, imprisoned and tortured for his creative sins?

Or the mental anguish suffered by Mort Rainey in Secret Window?

Perhaps one day they’ll get a welcome reprieve but, unsurprisingly, there’s not a scent of it here.

Her marriage in tatters, best-selling novelist Rachel Carlson (Demi Moore) endures the sudden loss of her young son, who drowns behind her London home.

Inconsolable and seeking fresh inspiration for her new book, she escapes her pressured lifestyle and heads alone for the tranquil isolation of the idyllic Igonish Cove in Scotland

Here she believes she can move on with her life, free herself from past demons and write her next masterpiece.

Yet, when she tells her best friend Sharon, while standing on a deserted beach; "I really think I’m going to be ok", it's pretty obvious things are only going to get a lot worse.

Firstly there are the messages from her dead son, and the stirring offerings from the local psychic.

Then a friendship with lighthouse keeper Angus McCulloch (Hans Matheson) leads to a sinister discovery.

Rachel soon finds herself on a dangerous road, forced to question her own perception of reality in a dark and deceitful world.

The boundaries between fact and fiction, the real and the imagined become a central theme, the intertwining plots and lead character's struggle for mental stability leave a trail of uncertainty drawing us toward the long awaited conclusion.

Such a film needs a strong lead actress and Moore ably portrays the strained and deluded Rachel.

Intriguing and surprisingly meaningful, this is gripping stuff. You really don’t need to be a writer or a master of creativity, Half Light should trigger your imagination no matter what.

Mark Whale