Maelström (2000)

Director:

Denis Villeneuve

Writer:

Denis Villeneuve (writer)

Release Date:

15 September 2000 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

After plunging her car into a river, a woman encounters a man who helps her come to terms with her life. |

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Off Screen Narration | Car In Water | Car Wash | Female Frontal Nudity

Awards:

23 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Marie-Josée Croze	...	Bibiane Champagne
Jean-Nicolas Verreault	...	Evian
Stephanie Morgenstern	...	Claire Gunderson
Pierre Lebeau	...	The Fish (voice)
Klimbo	...	Head-Annstein Karlsen
John Dunn-Hill	...	Fishmonger
Marc Gélinas	...	Stranger in Subway
Bobby Beshro	...	Philippe Champagne
Marie-France Lambert	...	Marie-Jeanne Sirois
Virginie Dubois	...	Sara
Daniel Turcot	...	Infernal fishmonger
Luis Oliva	...	Fishmonger's employee
Darrell Lloyd Tucler	...	Fishmonger's employee
Léo Arguello	...	Fishmonger's employee
Martin Boucher	...	Driver

Also Known As:

Maelstrom (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality/nudity, language and an abortion scene.

Runtime:

87 min | Canada:85 min (DVD version)

Country:

Canada

Language:

French | English | Norwegian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | France:U | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Max Films Productions

Movie Connections:

Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Les deux guitares

A dark fairy tale

Maelstrom is a unique blend of happenstance, a touch of magical realism and a cautionary tale wrapped in the stunning cinematography Andre Turpin. Unfortunately when one reads a synopsis of the film the reviewers focus on a brief yet impactive scene that happens at the beginning of the film. The irony is this scene is handled deftly and tastefully by Director Denis Villeneuve. But due to the skewed American sensibilities surrounding sex and violence, a masterful portrayal of daily reality is maligned as shocking and graphic. Frankly I'm more disturbed by images I see on the nightly news and on reality TV. So if you can ignore the synopsis a brilliantly poetic piece of cinema awaits you. This is a well crafted film whose visual elements carry the tale, (a lesson M. Night Shamalyan could have used before engulfing his audience in the endless exposition of Lady In the Water) that is ultimately uplifting.