Maelström
2000 / 87m - Canada
Drama
2.5*/5.0*
Maelstrom poster

Watches

March 08, 2022

2.5*/5.0*

Early Villeneuve, that helped to establish his reputation. The mix of drama, arthouse and mild fantasy feels a little forced and construed, probably because the execution wasn't quite there. There are some interesting ideas, but they never really combine to make a good film, and the result is pretty forgettable.

Bibiane is a young and seemingly successful businesswoman. She's the daughter of an influential man and because of that, she doubts her worth. When she gets fired and is involved in a hit-and-run in the span of a single day, her entire world comes crumbling down. She spirals downwards even further when she finds out the victim died.

There's a talking fish to make the film a touch more distinct and the structure of the plot is quite messy, which at least brightens up a coincidence-ridden narrative. The performances are decent too, but the film looks pretty glum and the soundtrack is rather boring and expected. Like most of his films, Villeneuve comes off a little too uncertain about his own signature.