Dark Water left me feeling a little soggy . . .
If there is one thing I hate it is leaks which lead to water damage which lead to mold which lead to sickness and death. Yes, I hate leaks. So the whole premise of the leaky apartment in Dark Water really creeped me out to say the least.
Having said that though, the overall movie didn't really do much for me in the "scared out of my wits" department. But I have to say that as a drama about a mother (Jennifer Connelly) and daughter (Ariel Gade) still stung by the abandonment of a husband and father (Dougray Scott) whilst in the midst of a bitter custody battle, Dark Water really seemed to hit the mark. Not to mention the added drama of a little girl (Perla Haney-Jardine) all alone who really only wants a mommy of her very own.
The atmosphere and scenery of Dark Water were really well done. They portrayed a wet, dark and dank grave like existence throughout the film in that apartment building. From the moment I laid eyes on it, I knew it was bad news.
The flashbacks to Dahlia's youth running parallel to Natasha's last days added a great touch to a very sad and horrifying story. It also gave you some insight as to why Dahlia made the decisions that she made and had the reactions that she did to the circumstances surrounding her. And although I couldn't figure out why Dahlia's attorney Jeff Platzer (Tim Roth) kept alluding to this imaginary family, his part was very well played.
All in all
Dark Water was very well acted with a great atmosphere it was an all around good movie. It just wasn't one of those jump out of your skin movies. I think though I was expecting more scares than I really ever got so I was a bit disappointed in that sense.
It will be interesting to see the original Japanese version:
Honogurai mizu no soko kara (2002) aka "Dark Water" - UK, USA I wonder if I will like that version better as I did with both The Ring and The Grudge.
Dark Water Movie Cast and Credits
Directed by
Walter Salles
Writing credits (WGA)
Kôji Suzuki (novel Honogurai Mizu No Soko Kara)
Hideo Nakata (film Honogurai mizu no soko kara) and
Takashige Ichise (film Honogurai mizu no soko kara) (as Taka Ichise)
Rafael Yglesias (screenplay)
Cast (in credits order)
Jennifer Connelly .... Dahlia
John C. Reilly .... Mr. Murray
Tim Roth .... Jeff Platzer
Dougray Scott .... Kyle
Pete Postlethwaite .... Veeck
Camryn Manheim .... Teacher
Ariel Gade .... Ceci
Perla Haney-Jardine .... Natasha/Young Dahlia
Debra Monk .... Young Dahlia's Teacher
Linda Emond .... Mediator
Bill Buell .... Mediator
J.R. Horne .... Man in Train
Elina Löwensohn .... Dahlia's Mother
Warren Belle .... UPS Man
Alison Sealy-Smith .... Supervisor
Simon Reynolds .... Man in Elevator
Kate Hewlett .... Teacher's Aide
Jennifer Baxter .... Mary
Diego Fuentes .... Night Doorman
Zoe Heath .... Natasha's Mother
muMs da Schemer .... Platzer's Backseat Client (as muMs)
Matthew Lemche .... Steve (as Matt Lemche)
Edward Kennington .... Billy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marshall Factora .... Mr. Bernstein (uncredited)
More Dark Water Movie Reviews
Movie Review of Dark Water from About.comDark Water Movie Review and Information Page at The Internet Movie Database
