Review of Water Lilies (2007) by Don S — 08 Mar 2013

It's strange and a bit alien to me, being male and all, but it's brave and willing to show the cruelty and harshness of being a young teen whose sexuality is only just developing and the confusion that can come from that.

It's a bit dry at times but that adds to it's realism and keeps the serious tone throughout. The acting is strong and it does tug at the heart strings despite it's bizarre and upfront approach which, understandably, frightens some people away. While I certainly can't vouch for it's realism it feels honest and is believable as a result. I certainly felt able to relate without having had similar issues myself so it succeeds there mostly due to the strong performances throughout.

It hints on dangers and acts as a warning but there's always a sense that the warning will be ignored after all lust and desires aren't always controllable and this film addresses that while still managing to be relatively sweet in-between the emotionally intense scenes.

It's a tough topic to capture honestly and it certainly takes guts to be as upfront with it as this one is but I think it was necessary in this case and I think it paid off. It's not always the most interesting watch but it keeps you attached and allows for an emotional connection with the viewer that may not have been possible if the film felt dishonest or false, which it doesn't.