The Pale Blue Eye - Netflix Movie

THE PALE BLUE EYE Trailer (2023) Gillian Anderson, Christian Bale
Movie Coverage

A very cool film. We've got Edgar Allen Poe (Harry Melling) as a cadet at the West Point Military Academy and we have an old, retired New York City detective (Christian Bale) called in to investigate the death of one of these cadets. The plot is very clever. It all seems very plausible until we get to the last scene when everything you thought you knew is revealed to be a lie. 

Poe (1809 - 1849) did attend West Point. West Point opened in 1802, so that part of the story is plausible.

It is winter, 1830, so all interior illumination is done with candles or kerosene lamps, and at least some of the time the lighting is realistic, as in very dim. Many period pieces are too brightly illuminated, and I'm grateful, otherwise I would be left in the dark, heh. But this one was more realistic.

But looking at all the snow makes me wonder why did people ever go north in the first place? I suppose more game animals which meant easier hunting, and the harsher climate would discourage most people, so fewer neighbors bothering you might be a plus. I suspect there would be fewer diseases in colder regions. The tropics seem to be riddled all kinds of deadly diseases. So moving north would have some benefits. You just have to be able to chop wood.

Wikipedia page about the film.