The Gift

Loosely based on the TV series, this is a fairly gripping supernatural drama for older children. On a visit to his grandparents' Welsh cottage, 14-year-old Davy (Whalley) learns that he has inherited the family gift for clairvoyance. returning home with his young sister (Harrington), he is assailed by a stream of disturbing premonitions involving armed men in grotesque masks and Western-style coats - the very men with whom Davy's father has been overheard in clandestine converstation. Younger kids may get restive because of the lack of action with the situation only becoming clear towards the end. That said, there are a number of nail-biting moments, extremely inventive camera angles, and marvellously understated performances from Whalley, Jodhi May (as the only classmate to understand Davy's predicament), and Cynthia Greville as the kindly but somewhat sinister grandmother. Pity about the cotton-wool soundtrack.