Review of Walk on Water (2004) by Ceph J — 17 Dec 2010

Loved this film because it's my kind of movie not made by Hollywood. A quiet gem that's well written, takes you to foreign locales, actors who act like real people, and it has a message. Granted, the simple message is one of redemption or forgiveness; "Walk On Water" refers to a miracle so might be anti-climactic to some critics. But, there's just too many admirable aspects of the film to ignore.

Lior Ashkenazi plays an Israeli assassin and the actor looks like Clive Owen. He's sent on a mission to find out information from German siblings Caroline Peters and Knut Berger. It's basically about Ashkenazir's relationship with Berger, two men different in backgrounds, music taste, sexuality, and outlook (pessimist vs optimist). I like the way the friendship develops slowly without judgment. Obviously, the filmmakers are striving for a bromance but there's not a single scene where Burger explains why he doesn't even attempt to sleep with Ashkenazi or Ashkenazi confirms explicitly that he's not even remotely interested. Also, Ashkenazi's transformation from cold killer into compassionate buddy doesn't really depend on Burger but on the memory of his dead wife. The ending is too tidy so feels like a copout.

The film provides a travelogue of Israel and Berlin so any viewer can feast on some of these locales. The two male actors are very credible actors and convince you of their roles. Peters' role is underwritten as the sister but all the female characters are simply in the background. This is a man's perspective. As a music fan, I liked the soundtrack. Ultimately, I can't wait to watch it a second time and try to capture details that I missed the first time.