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The Weight of Water (9-Sep-2000)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow Writers: Alice Arlen; Christopher Kyle From novel by: Anita Shreve Music Composed and Conducted by: David Hirschfelder Producers: Janet Yang; Sigurjón Sighvatsson; A. Kitman Ho Keywords: Thriller
CAST | Anders W. Berthelsen | ... Evan Christenson | | Katrin Cartlidge | ... Karen Christenson | | Ciarán Hinds | ... Louis Wagner | | Elizabeth Hurley | ... Adaline Gunne | | Josh Lucas | ... Rich Janes | | Catherine McCormack | ... Jean Janes | | Sean Penn | ... Thomas Janes | | Sarah Polley | ... Maren Hontvedt | | Vinessa Shaw | ... Anethe Christenson | | Ulrich Thomsen | ... John Hontvedt | | | Richard Donat | ... Mr. Plaisted | | Murdock McDonald | ... Bailiff | | Joseph Rutten | ... Judge | | John Walf | ... Defense Attorney | | Adam Curry | ... Emil Ingerbretson | | John MacLaren | ... Dr. Parsons | | Rita Kvist | ... Young Maren | | Jan Tore Kristoffersen | ... Young Evan | | Catherine Kellner | ... College Student | | Karl Julíusson | ... Mr. Christenson | | Peter Cobbold | ... Priest | | R. D. Call | ... Coast Guard Officer | | Scobie | ... Clerk |
REVIEWS Review by Dracher (posted on 16-Apr-2008) This film has been called obscure, muddled and number of other things that simply do not fit.
Here, for once, is a movie that deals with human feelings, emotions, joys and fears at various levels, many of them deeper and wider than the ocean, upon, within and around which, most of the stories are set, without ever losing the thread.
The stories (two basically but there are many) are told together, so one must be alert and focused, because this film does not ramble, it moves on at a fair pace and handles a lot of complexity and drama, and it does so bravely and succesfully.
Outside the script and the subject matter and the look of the film, all of which are very fine, the big thing that strikes one about this film, is the direction.
Kathryn Bigelow has painted with a wide brush, she has used a lot of black, but she has also used a number of colours, some very delecate and she has filled the gaps with finer and even thread like brush strokes which could be (and seemingly have been) missed by slow or unfocused audience members.
The character relationships are wonderfully drawn, the sadness is at times overwhelming and the challenges are there for all I suspect, but for some there will be many more than for others. I loved this film very much, There is not a bad performance in it, including Ms Hurley, who I admit, I thought was going to let it down, but my dreadful prejudice was soon evaperated, as she rose to assail the hights the role demanded. Sean Penn is so very well cast and so very fine, in fact, there were no faults in any one of the the players, art direction was generally good, but became a little "clunky" in the hisrtorical scenes.
I have given this film 3 and a half stars, I would have given four, had the historic sequences been better catered for; I cannot accept (and nobody should be expected to accept) that the German accused, with all his experience of the world, should have retained a strong german accent, when the wonderful women, newly arrived from Norway, have almost perfect English, and the wife, who has poor English upon arrival, displays great English, both spoken and written, after only five years, five years where? on an isolated island with a Norwegian speaking husband.
Determined to finish on a high note, I want to say that I loved the wonderful work by all the women in this film, but especially those wondereful women who's characters formed the central theme of the historical section, they were all majestic and their stories, like their individual performances, were so compelling and fulfilling.
I like this film and it's director very much.
Dracher
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