a series of contrived set pieces which fail to connect and blunder awkwardly through scene after predictable scene until the film comes to a welcome end
Saltwater (2000)
Rated: Not Rated
Synopsis: Conor McPherson's SALTWATER is a moving slice-of-life film that focuses on a family living in a small coastal town in Ireland. George (Brian Cox) is an aging man who runs a tiny fish and chips shop, bringing in just enough money to break even. His sons, shy, introverted Frank (Peter McDonald)... Conor McPherson's SALTWATER is a moving slice-of-life film that focuses on a family living in a small coastal town in Ireland. George (Brian Cox) is an aging man who runs a tiny fish and chips shop, bringing in just enough money to break even. His sons, shy, introverted Frank (Peter McDonald) and innocent, adolescent Joe (Laurence Kinlan), help out as grill cooks, but George has accumulated some debt in his dealings with a double-crossing scum bag banker. Meanwhile, the oldest son, Ray (Conor Mullen), makes a decent living as a philosophy teacher at a local university, but the combination of his outspoken opinions and his love affair with one of his students are quickly digging him into a hole. As the family works together to help each other with the challenges of their daily lives, a beautiful, difficult, realistic story unfolds. Shot in dramatic color with a jumpy, anxious pacing, SALTWATER is at times absurd (the film features one of the most extraordinary barf scenes ever to be captured on celluloid) and is at other times delectably sweet--kind of like life itself. This film was screened as part of the Contemporary Films from Britain series organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Peter McDonald, Brian Cox, Conor Mullen, Brendan Gleeson, Valerie Spelman

