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MOVIES / ON DVD / MAELSTRöM
Maelström

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Maelström (2002)

80%
82%
100%
N/A
N/A
N/A
80 %
Reviews Counted: 35 Fresh: 28  Rotten:7 Average Rating: 6.7/10

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Theatrical Release: Jan 25, 2002 Limited

Synopsis: This unusual gem of a film is a gorgeously conceived and well-executed morality tale, narrated by a gory, blood-smeared, dying fish. This choice of a narrator may seem bizarre, and is certainly unusual, but somehow it works perfectly in the film--it creates a gothic fairy tale atmosphere,... This unusual gem of a film is a gorgeously conceived and well-executed morality tale, narrated by a gory, blood-smeared, dying fish. This choice of a narrator may seem bizarre, and is certainly unusual, but somehow it works perfectly in the film--it creates a gothic fairy tale atmosphere, and adds a dash of humor to what is a difficult, grim story. The film begins with a graphic scene of the heroine, Bibi (Marie-Josee Croze), getting an abortion. Bibi's guilt feelings are multiplied tenfold when on a rainy night soon thereafter, she accidentally hits a man and drives off, leaving him to die. Her sophisticated life as the successful owner of a chic boutique and heiress of a famous father's fortune begins to swiftly and spectacularly unravel. After she survives a suicide attempt, Bibi's guilt has still not been alleviated, and she decides to track down the body of the man she killed. At the morgue, she runs into the dead man's son, who asks her to stay with him while he sorts through his father's possessions. The son ends up falling in love with Bibi, but she remains consumed with guilt over what is now her terrible secret. All of the film's acting, but especially the difficult part of Bibi, is done with beauty and sensitivity. The film's lush photography at times hearkens back to director Villeneuve's music video work, but its stylish quality always serves the story's needs. This poetic tale of moral responsibility and despair is a uniquely haunting, must-see film. [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Marie-Josee Croze, Jean-Nicholas Verrault, Stephanie Morgenstern, Pierre Lebeau

Director: Denis Villeneuve
Producer: Roger Frappier, Luc Vandal
Composer: Pierre Desrochers

DVD Info

Release:

Mar 18, 2003

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital Stereo - English

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
06/06/08
Dennis Harvey
Variety
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3.5/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
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3/5

No review available.

comment Comment
08/27/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
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3/5

No review available.

comment Comment
12/27/04
Michael Dequina
Mr. Brown's Movies
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C+

Antiseptic and distantly intellectual.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/26/03
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
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3.5/5

Not too far below the gloss you can still feel director Denis Villeneuve's beating heart and the fondness he has for his characters.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/08/02
Ron Wells
Film Threat
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3.5/4

Strange it is, but delightfully so.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/01/02
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
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2/5

Most fish stories are a little peculiar, but this is one that should be thrown back in the river.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/06/02
Jeffrey Bruner
Des Moines Register
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B

Darkly funny and frequently insightful.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/06/02
Philip Wuntch
Dallas Morning News
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B

An oddity, to be sure, but one that you might wind up remembering with a degree of affection rather than revulsion.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/28/02
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
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3/4

An oddly affecting and often darkly funny drama about the randomness of life and the possibility of redemption.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/10/02
Joe Leydon
San Francisco Examiner
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3/4

An original little film about one young woman's education.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/10/02
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
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3/4

The main story ... is compelling enough, but it's difficult to shrug off the annoyance of that chatty fish.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/09/02
Mary F. Pols
Contra Costa Times
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2/4

'Sophisticated' viewers who refuse to admit that they don't like it will likely call it 'challenging' to their fellow sophisticates.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/08/02
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews
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4/5

This is a nervy, risky film, and Villeneuve has inspired Croze to give herself over completely to the tormented persona of Bibi.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/05/02
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
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N/A

Offers the flash of rock videos fused with solid performances and eerie atmosphere.

comment Comment
04/04/02
Gregory Weinkauf
New Times
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3/4

Maelstrom is strange and compelling, engrossing and different, a moral tale with a twisted sense of humor.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/29/02
Marta Barber
Miami Herald
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N/A

Sensual, funny and, in the end, very touching.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/22/02
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
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N/A

Observant intelligence constantly vies with pretension -- and sometimes plain wacky implausibility -- throughout Maelstrom.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/22/02
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
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• Maelström at AskMen
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