Artistically speaking, Bigelow's drama may be her most ambitous and personal film to date, a multi-layered (period and contemporary) psychological thriller that borrows from Bergman's masterpiece Persona; commercially, however, it's problematic.
The Weight of Water (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:62
Fresh:20
Rotten:42
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: The story is too muddled to build any interest.
Synopsis: Two stories unravel simultaneously in this dark and suspenseful film. The first story, set in the present day, concerns a photographer, Jean (Catherine McCormack). She is working on an article for... Two stories unravel simultaneously in this dark and suspenseful film. The first story, set in the present day, concerns a photographer, Jean (Catherine McCormack). She is working on an article for a magazine about a pair of bloody murders that happened 200 years before on the Isle of Shoals, just off the coast of New Hampshire. To get the pictures she needs she must visit the location of the murders, and so her husband, Thomas (Sean Penn), arranges a yachting trip with his brother, Rich (Josh Lucas), and Rich's girlfriend, Adaline (Elizabeth Hurley). The foursome pal around, enjoying the sea and the sun, while Adaline shamelessly seduces Thomas. Meanwhile, Jean is reliving the Isle of Shoals murders in her head, which is where the second story comes in. Maren (Sarah Polley) is a Norwegian woman who has recently immigrated to America with her husband. When her sister (Katrin Cartlidge) and sister-in-law (Vinessa Shaw) are brutally bludgeoned to death with an axe, she is the sole survivor, and thus the only one who knows the truth about what happened. THE WEIGHT OF WATER draws a parallel between these two tense episodes, as the surf swirls menacingly, foretelling imminent disaster. [More]
Starring: Elizabeth Hurley, Catherine McCormack, Sean Penn, Sarah Polley
Starring: Elizabeth Hurley, Catherine McCormack, Sean Penn, Sarah Polley, Anders W. Berthelsen, Katrin Cartlidge, Ciaran Hinds, Joshua Lucas, Vinessa Shaw, Ulrich Thomsen
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Producer: Janet Yang, Joni Sighvatsson, A. Kitman Ho
Screenwriter: Alice Arlen, Christopher Kyle
Composer: David Hirschfelder
Studio: Lions Gate Films
Reviews for The Weight of Water
Nem as ótimas performances de Sarah Polley e Sean Penn conseguem conferir energia a este filme, cujas histórias desenvolvidas paralelamente se anulam de forma implacável.
The film might appeal to those who've already read the book, but it's unlikely those who haven't will find much of anything to enjoy here.
It doesn't surprise me that this film sat for two years in storage before released, as the final version appeared clunky.
Bigelow offers some flashy twists and turns that occasionally fortify this turgid fable. But for the most part, The Weight of Water comes off as a two-way time-switching myopic mystery that stalls in its lackluster gear of emotional blandness.
Despite an impressive roster of stars and direction from Kathryn Bigelow, The Weight of Water is oppressively heavy.
The superior plotline isn't quite enough to drag along the dead (water) weight of the other.
Elegantly crafted but emotionally cold, a puzzle whose intricate construction one can admire but is difficult to connect with on any deeper level.
The jarring jumps between disconnected stories and watered-down sensationalism make for a soggy experience.
The Weight of Water uses water as a metaphor for subconscious desire, but this leaky script barely stays afloat.
[Two] fairly dull -- contrasting and interlocking stories about miserable Scandinavian settlers in 18th-century Canada, and yuppie sailboaters in the here and now.
There are a few wrong notes, and the ending is too enigmatic for its own good, but for a studio production the film is uncommonly intelligent and uncompromising.
Sarah Polley deserves some kind of recognition for her role in this film.
None of the characters or plot-lines are fleshed-out enough to build any interest.
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