CORPORATE LINE: Acclaimed director Walter Salles (“Central Station,” “The Motorcycle Diaries”) helms and Academy Award®-winner Jennifer Connelly stars in DARK WATER, a psychological thriller featuring a stellar cast, including Academy Award®-nominees John C. Reilly, Tim Roth, and Pete Postlethwaite, as well as Dougray Scott and newcomer Ariel Gade. Based on a film by the creators of the Japanese version of “The Ring” comes this haunting, chilling film about a young mother who goes to extreme lengths to solve a mystery and protect her daughter. Dahlia Williams (JENNIFER CONNELLY) is starting a new life; newly separated with a new job and a new apartment, she’s determined to put her relationship with her estranged husband behind her and devote herself to raising her daughter, Ceci. But when the strained separation disintegrates into a bitter custody battle, her situation takes a turn for the worse. Her new apartment – dilapidated, cramped, and worn – seems to take on a life of its own. Mysterious noises, persistent leaks of dark water, and strange happenings cause her imagination to run wild, sending her on a puzzling and mystifying pursuit to find out who is behind the endless mind games. As Dahlia frantically searches for the links between the riddles, the dark water seems to close around her. But one thing trumps all others in Dahlia’s world: no matter what it is that’s out there, she’ll stop at nothing to find it.
THE GOOD: Dark Water is extremely creepy. Jennifer Connelly is great in the roll of the mother. She brings an element of insanity that wasn’t in the Ring. The other cast members Tim Roth, Pete Postlewaite, and John C. Reilly play some very odd characters.
The apartment is scary. Everything about their home is creepy. It’s the kind of place you wouldn’t visit even if you knew it was only a movie. They did a great job of setting the mood for a good scare.
THE BAD: The biggest issue is that Dark Water is too much like The Ring. It is written by the same author and comes from Japan and the same director who shot the Ring there. It’s nearly déjà vu.
FRANKLY: Dark Water has more psychology to it and less moments of cheap scares than the Ring. It has the ability to stick with you and haunt you after watching. Unfortunately it’s not going to be the sort of movie you think about long after. If it weren’t for Connelly’s engulfing of her character Dark Water would have fallen flat.
+ Charlie Craine
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