JUNO Temple is hot property. Following a stand-out turn in last year's EIFF opener, Killer Joe, she returned to the EIFF with Magic Magic. The opening scene makes Alicia's (Temple) fragile state clear. She lies curled up naked in a bathtub with the shower water raining down on her back.

Alicia joins her older cousin Sarah (Emily Browning) on a road trip to an island off the coast of Chile. As the journey commences, Sarah has to stay behind to resit some exams leaving her timid younger cousin in the hands of her friends. Among them is the flamboyant Brink (played with high camp by Michael Cera). Left with a group of strangers who do little to integrate her into their circle, Alicia's mental state begins to unravel. Her isolation is deepened by the lack of mobile phone reception on the island.

There is an edginess and eeriness to Magic Magic. It starts ominously, with a supernatural air to proceedings, but this is more South American gothic than horror. Alicia's descent into madness is played excellently by Temple and events are wonderfully shot by cinematographer Christopher Doyle (Hero, Lady in the Water). However, with few likeable characters, the film ultimately leaves the viewer cold and an ambiguous ending will leave more frustrated than satisfied.