A group of miners from a 14th century English village in the path of the Black Plague follow the recurring dreams of a young boy and tunnel through the Earth into the 20th century, where they hope to appease God by raising a cross atop the highest church in New Zealand. Director Vincent Ward is a name worth watching, if only his narrative skills would catch up to his visionary style. His sophomore feature is no less haunting than his 1984 debut film 'Vigil', but likewise suffers from sketchy characters and an underwritten script. The villagers' quest for spiritual redemption has no real parallel in our own age (despite casual comparisons between the Plague, the AIDS epidemic, and the nuclear arms race), and the only reason for bringing them into the 20th century is to see their confusion with automobiles and television. The often striking visual scheme gives the film a strictly cosmetic impression of depth and meaning, but Ward's Little Nemo resolution, and the forced irony of the epilogue, only underlines the lack of a story built around his compelling, original idea.