Dark Water (2005)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Walter Salles

Writers (WGA):

Kôji Suzuki (novel)
Hideo Nakata (film Honogurai mizu no soko kara) ...

Release Date:

8 July 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

This Season, The Mystery Of The Darkness Will Consume Your Life

Plot:

A mother and daughter, still wounded from a bitter custody dispute, hole up in a run-down apartment building. Adding further drama to their plight, they are targeted by the ghost of former resident.

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Water | New York | Ceiling | School

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 16

8:00 AM

FX

Cast

Jennifer Connelly	...	Dahlia Williams
John C. Reilly	...	Mr. Murray
Tim Roth	...	Jeff Platzer
Dougray Scott	...	Kyle Williams
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Veeck
Camryn Manheim	...	Teacher
Ariel Gade	...	Cecilia 'Ceci' Williams
Perla Haney-Jardine	...	Natasha Rimsky / Young Dahlia
Debra Monk	...	Young Dahlia's Teacher
Linda Emond	...	Mediator
Bill Buell	...	Mediator
J.R. Horne	...	Man in Train
Elina Löwensohn	...	Dahlia's Mother
Warren Belle	...	UPS Man
Alison Sealy-Smith	...	Supervisor

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, frightening sequences, disturbing images and brief language.

Runtime:

105 min | 103 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Sweden:15 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Philippines:PG-13 | Germany:16 | Iceland:12 (theatrical rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Malaysia:U | USA:Unrated (unrated DVD version) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:M | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Norway:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Brazil:12

Filming Locations:

Chandler Valley Center Studios - 13927 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

When Dahlia moves her wet clothes from one washing machine to another, you can see the number, "666", pop up for a moment on the second washing machine. That number is known as the symbol of the Anti-Christ.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ceci runs into the lobby after being dropped off by her father, there is a Barbie doll in her right hand which is stretched out towards her mother. In the next shot, the Barbie doll has switched to her left hand.

Quotes:

Dahlia: [Referring to Natasha] There's water everywhere! She can't be here!

Movie Connections:

References The Shining (1980)

Soundtrack:

Electrified

Good character-driven human drama; I blame the teenagers for the low rating.

Once more, a great injustice has been done by IMDb voters. Dark Water currently has a rating of 5.4, with 16% of the voters giving it a 1! Note that 16% is 251 users, so it's not that a lot of people thought it was bad, it just that not many people saw it and/or voted.

It's quite obvious what happened. In what must be the most idiotic marketing move of the century, Dark Water was promoted as a horror movie. Not only is the original Japanese version not that scary to begin with, and focuses more on the drama and the human aspects of the story, but in the remake, the horror element completely gets thrown out the window in favor of an intelligent, mature human drama. I can say that 75% of the people who were with me in the theater had no idea what kind of movie this is going to be. Needless to say, about an hour into it they began shifting in their seats, chatting or giggling. Most of them were teenagers, who came looking for cheap thrills and got a "bore-fest" instead. The same kind of teenagers who, I bet, later voted it a 1.

True, the movie could have been edited a little tighter, and some sequences could have been left on the editing room floor, but it's not boring. It does take its time establishing and developing the relationships and the characters, but since the movie is all about the characters, that's a good thing. It's quite an ambitious drama, and as such, it doesn't always strike home. The script, I think, is the main problem. Since it presents us with very real people with real problems, but doesn't seem to know where to take them from there. As a result, the plot is thin. It's certainly not an event-driven movie. It remains unclear what the main conflict is for the heroine. The writer wasn't fine tuned on what he wanted to say, or maybe the director, Walter Salles, mishandled the material. For me, the story was about learning to let go, and the difference between loving someone and wanting them to be happy, and loving someone so much that you want that person to belong only to you. It's the difference between being willing to sacrifice vs. a selfish and possessive kind of love. I think the movie should have put more weight on that.

Other than that, the film does strike the right chords more often than not, and provides a lot of touching, sad moments. The acting is wonderful and three dimensional. All of the cast does an excellent job, but especially Jennifer Connelly, who proves once more she is the best American actress working today. The cinematography and the art design are beautiful, with a lot of attention to atmosphere. Also, Walter Salles shows some neat directing techniques in playing with the viewer's minds, making us doubt what's real and what's imaginary, and giving visual expression to the heroine's ever deteriorating state of mind.

All in all, I'd rate this movie a 7.5. But 5.4?!!!! That's lower than Fantastic Four, for crying out loud. I just hope that it finds the right audience when it's released on DVD.