Review of Maelström (2000) by Sammi L — 30 Jan 2012

A near perfect Drama that should have gotten a much wider release in the U.S.

Plot: After having an abortion, a young woman named Bibi who is an owner of a chic boutique and heiress to her famous father's fortune, begins to lose touch with the world around her. While driving drunk she accidentally hits a man and leaves him to die. Waking up the next morning and realizing what she has done, her upscale life begins to further unravel. After a suicide attempt, a man enters her life who just might be able to help her overcome the tragedies that have transpired even though he just doesn't know it yet, but her secret may just tear them apart.

This is the first film I've seen by director Denis Villeneuve and I'm very interested in seeing more of his work. Very odd things occur in the film, including things such a number of talking fish about to be chopped up tell the story. There are also many quick scenes of fish out of water trying to breathe. Is this some sort of an allusion for things to come? Water also plays a big role in this film, whether it be brief scenes of rushing water or one of the characters simply drinking it. Water is present in nearly every scene in some form or another. This makes the film fun to watch because you're trying to figure out what all of these things represent and how they tie together. The whole water thing reminded me of Sam Mendes's films as whenever water is present, it signals that something bad is about to happen. These are the kinds of movies I like. Let's put a character in a difficult position or throw something tragic their way and see how they deal with it. This is a Canadian film that is so underrated, but sadly I don't think most of the people in the U.S. would have enjoyed it because it isn't some "explosion here, car chase there, and another explosion again" movie. This is one of those intense dramas that actually makes you think. It's a shame that the majority of movie goers in the U.S. don't want to see this kind of movie. When they go see a movie; they don't want to have to think. And another reason is that it's all in French, and the majority doesn't like to have to read the subtitles either. Fantastic movies like this one are overlooked in the U.S. solely for those two reasons. I barely knew what I was getting into when I started watching it, but was surprised at how interesting yet simple it turned out to be. Total Score: 7.8/10.