A peculiar breach of morality that leads with pretension: Denis Villeneuve guides Maelstrom through teetering absurdity without malicious intent. Read critic reviews
Maelstrom
2000, Comedy/Drama, 1h 35m
38 Reviews 1,000+ RatingsWhat to know
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Movie Info
Bibiane (Marie-Josée Croze), a wealthy part-time model, questions her seemingly perfect life after she has a traumatic abortion. She succumbs to substance abuse and, while driving drunk one night, strikes a pedestrian and drives off. The next morning, she learns of a man who died after a hit-and-run. Wracked with guilt, she attends the man's funeral. There, she meets his son, Evian (Jean-Nicolas Verreault), and the pair begin a romance. But Bibiane is afraid to tell Evian her dark secret.
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Rating: R (Strong Nudity|Language|Abortion Scene|Strong Sexuality)
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Genre: Comedy, Drama
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Original Language: English
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Director: Denis Villeneuve
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Producer: Roger Frappier, Luc Vandal
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Writer: Denis Villeneuve
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Release Date (Theaters): wide
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $353.7K
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm, Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc., Arrow Entertainment
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Sound Mix: Surround
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Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)
Cast & Crew
Critic Reviews for Maelstrom
Audience Reviews for Maelstrom
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As narrated by a fish with its head on the chopping block, "Maelstrom" starts with Bibi(Marie-Josee Croze) having an abortion. Afterwards, her best friend Claire(Stephanie Morgenstern) cares for her while she prays at the porcelain temple. Bibi's work life is not that much better as the Montreal boutique she owns with her partner Philippe(Bobby Beshro) has been having its share of thefts, causing them to hire security guards. That's not to mention the large amount of money she owes. And if you think she is having a bad day, imagine that of the guy(Klimbo) she hits with her car on the way home from a bar. A short time ago, I mentioned that "Rubber" was the oddest movie I had seen in quite a while. That probably has something to do with the lack of Canadian movies I have seen lately. Because "Maelstrom" has it all, including occasional intertitles, a diverse musical score that leans Scandinavian, and a complex chronal storyline which adds perspective. All of which is not as heavy as it sounds. At first, I was prepared to connect Denis Villeneuve's more recent feature "Incendies" to "Maelstrom" through a common theme of how all life is sacred. However, the truth could not be any more different, as the movie is edgily profound in how it states we are all part of the same cycle of life and death, so relax. Notice for example, how matter of factly the abortion scene is filmed, without any judgment, no less. That fits in well with the movie's intelligent thoughts on guilt and forgiveness, as Bibi has a hard time getting completely clean.
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Great creative effort by Denis Villeneuve who has grown steadily since undertaking this picture. Not everyone can pull off narration from a fish on the chopping block.
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A young woman's life unravels when she has an abortion, then a few days later hits a pedestrian with her car and flees in a panic. MAELSTROM is not for anyone seeking a traditional narrative: it's an arty, surrealistic, impressionistic portrait of guilt, narrated by a fish telling the story with his last breath as he waits to be gutted and turned into seafood.
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Maelström is the brilliantly told story of a young woman dealing with the chaos that ensues from the hit-and-run she committs. I especially enjoyed how it was sometimes shot at different angles with the camera shakiness on top of that to give it a touch of confusion. Like the snowball effect, each event of the film brings about another and so on. It seems everything has a meaning and everything is linked to something else, somehow. I also liked the idea of a fish on the brink of death (about to be slaughtered actually) telling the story. It was quirky yet added a tinge of originality. Marie-Josée Croze was, as always, superb. As for Jean-Nicolas Verreault, I thought he was overshadowed by Croze and should've had more screen time. He's an okay actor anyhow! I suggest you rent this when you feel like watching drama, art house, foreign, international, what have you. Otherwise you might not appreciate this as much as you should.
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