The Weight of Water

Plot synopsis:
In March 1873, two Norwegian-born women who lived on the desolate Smuttynose Island, one of the Isles of Shoals off the coast of Maine and New Hampshire, were brutally murdered. Maren Hontvedt, a sister of one of the victims, survived by hiding in a sea cave until dawn. The murdered women were her older sister Karen Christensen and Anethe Christensen, their sister-in-law. A man named Louis Wagner was tried and hanged for their murders, mostly on circumstantial evidence. His conviction has been argued about, as some people think he could not have done it.
More than a century later, Jean Janes, a magazine photographer working on a photo essay about the murders, returns to the Isles with her husband Thomas and five-year-old daughter. Thomas is an award-winning poet who has been struggling with alcoholism and not writing much. Hoping to have a small vacation, they travel on a boat skippered by Thomas' brother Rich, who has brought along his girlfriend Adaline.
Jean becomes immersed in the details of the 19th-century murders after discovering a purported memoir of Maren in the library. Gradually, tensions increase among the group on the sloop, with unspoken emotions surfacing. Jean begins to suspect an affair between Thomas and Adaline.
The novel is split into two parts: the present day, told from Jean's point of view and in the present tense; and 1873, told in first person from Maren's point of view, her "memoir."

Tags: violence, cruelty, murder, romantic, flashback

Review:
In both movies, we get two different stories running simultaneously: one, a mystery set in the past, and, the other, a personal drama located in the present, involving a group of characters reflecting on and trying to make sense of the events that took place a century or so earlier.The story-within-a-story in `The Weight of Water' is a true-life account of a brutal double murder that took place on a remote island off the coast of New Hampshire in the 1870's.
Accompanying her on her quest are her husband, Thomas, a celebrated poet; Rich, his handsome brother whose boat they use to get to the island; and Adaline, the latter's gorgeous girlfriend who also happens to be a devotee of Thomas' literary work and a bit of a `groupie,' as it turns out, in both tone and temperament, attaching herself rather obviously to the talented young bard, despite the fact that his observant wife is on the boat with them.
As in `Possession,' the filmmakers in this film - screenwriters Alice Arlen and Christopher Kyle and director Kate Bigelow - shift constantly between the past and the present, allowing us to piece together the clues as to what really happened on that island over 130 years ago, and, at the same time, to examine the strained relationships among those contemporary figures looking for the answers.The problem with `The Weight of Water' - as it is in many films with this dual-narrative structure - is that one story almost inevitably ends up dominating over the other.
As Adaline, Josh's tawny-haired girlfriend, Hurley looks great in her bikini, of course, but the character is little more than the stereotypical temptress placed there by the writers to serve as a source of strain and tension on the marriage.
What the book and the film are about is human situations that are put to a test.In the story that happened many years ago in a settlement in coastal New England, there was a notorious murder at the center of the narrative.
In the novel the tension comes across much deeply than what one sees in the movie.The amusing thing about the film is that the secondary story is more interesting than the present one.
Of course part of the credit for that has to go to the cast, which is mostly superb (with the notable exception of Elizabeth Harley); Catherine McCormack and Sarah Polley are the best, each one holds her own story together perfectly.
The other takes place in contemporary times and its about a writer named Thomas Janes (Sean Penn) and his photographer wife Jean (Catherine McCormack) who are going to spend time on a chartered yacht with his brother Rich (Josh Lucas) and his sexy girlfriend Adaline (Elizabeth Hurley).
The film goes back and forth telling both stories and the first has a woman named Maren (Sarah Polley) who is married but doesn't love her husband.
When a movie gets itself over certain hurdles, establishing believability, mainly, and creating audience sympathy with/for one or more characters-- I am willing to silence my nagging inner critic, who is perhaps a thwarted pleasure principle raising its head to be fed.Sarah Polley makes this film.
enough for me to rent the film again and watch it again and search for the soundtrack (which doesn't seem to be available) and to buy the best-selling novel this film was based on, to "find out more."How this young girl, who was a "product of her times" and punished for her times, could be misunderstood by all critics and many movie-goers, and people miss the point of how the past meets the present in the human heart, it beyond me.This film deserves a better review than I am giving it right now, and I intend to write one at a later date, after seeing it again.Thank you to all concerned, and to all the actors who gave incredible performances (including Hurley, who, like all the others) - especially our two "heroines," past and present - gave excellent performances, perfect for our times.I have not seen such a perfect film in a long, long time.
As Jean observes, at the time of the killings it was felt that Louis Wagner (Ciarán Hinds) "was in love with one of the women, (and that) murder was the only way he could possess her."  "I like that," comments Adaline tritely, unconsciously inviting an echo of this obsessive behaviour towards herself.
It's almost to the point of parody when you're told the harsh life of the main character played by Sara Polley, in one of the film's two intermingled stories.
This is where the movie excels and Polley carries the film so well just be being very believable, that it let's me forgive the not so great acting by some of her counterparts.
Kudos to Catherine Bigelow for pulling this through.Polley/the young Norwegian woman is in the center piece of an ancient murder mystery investigated by the other of the film's two main character's, in the settings that takes place in the modern time of the film, Catherine McCormack.
She looks haunted enough for me to stay interested, and her good intentions manage to keep the plot of the acceptable side of what could otherwise have been embarrassingly banal.If you're looking for a slightly different movie with some suspense, some people you recognize, and at the same time are willing to get exposed to a type of acting and story telling you might not be used to, I recommend The Weight of Water.
Action bounced back and forth between the present with Catherine McCormack, Sean Penn, Elizabeth Hurley & Josh Lucas; and the past featuring Sarah Polley.A murder took place in 1873 and there is no doubt watching the action that Polley committed it.
Unfortunately, a man hangs for the crime instead of her.The present day crew with McCormack doing a great job as a photographer investigating the murder seem to be having some of the same problems that beset Polley.
Her husband (Peen) can't seem to take his eyes off Hurley (and who could blame him as she exposes ample skin to distract us should the story lag - which it doesn't), and there is some indication that more might have happened.Just as things came to a head with Polley and a moment of madness overtook her, we can see the same things happening in the present.The murdered are still be discussed 100 years later and only a couple of people know what really happened.
A challenge for the audience!I didn't see Sean Penn in any movie for about 10 years and never was a fan, but here he delivers a really good performance as the poet.
"The Weigh of Water" interleaves a present day story of two DINK couples on a boat exploring the New England coast where the second story of the murder of two Norwegian women took place 127 years before with the second story.
Unfortunately, the present day story isn't very interesting unless you want to see Hurley sucking on ice and bathing her naked flesh in with it or Penn drunkenly spouting poetry.
He believes he's innocent, but others reject his desperate plea for being saved, as he is to be hanged after the jury in the court reaches a verdict of "guilty." "The Weight of Water" then cuts to present day, where a beautiful photographer, Jean Janes (Catherine McCormack) is going on an expedition with her husband (Sean Penn) and her brother and his girlfriend (Elizabeth Hurley) to figure whether or not this man who was hanged in 1873 was really innocent or not.
I would say I was more interested in the characters of the present day, than the ones in the backstory.As far as the flashbacks go, I think "The Weight of Water" is one of those better films that actually knows how to use this device well.
Normally flashbacks in films are very distracting, but in this one, they actually help a lot and blend in well, helping us understand what Jean Janes is thinking when she comes to terms in solving this mystery of whether or not this convicted man was innocent or not and if what she believes is true, that a woman did commit the murdering of two women.
After a savage murder has taken place in the cottage, she blames him for the crime and is responsible for his hanging when she testifies against him.A storm at sea threatens to take the lives of those aboard the boating party--but even though the surf is rough, they manage to survive the storm after a brave attempt to save the life of ELIZABETH HURLEY results in the death of SEAN PENN, whose wife has been jealous of the attention he pays to his brother's girlfriend.
But still, the weak link with the past events of murder fails to connect to the present except that jealousy is somehow implied.It's a curious film--with perhaps some deep meaning lurking beneath the story's surface, but the characters in the present aren't really fleshed out as well as those inhabiting the past.
But then a disclaimer at the end of the film tells us that the murders were never actually solved and there is still doubt remaining as to what did really happen.Impressive performances by SARAH POLLEY, CIARIN HINDS and SEAN PENN stand out in the memory when the film is over.
Her performance of the psychologically pressured Maren easily surpasses that of the much-ballyhooed Nicole Kidman's Virgina Woolf in "The Hours" (a performance I liked very much, but Kidman isn't half -- nay, a third -- the thespian Polley is).Unfortunately, this brilliant actress' beautiful performance is in a film whose release was delayed more than a year (and then barely put into distribution) because of the fact that the "modern" story in this bifurcated drama is, to put it simply, simply AWFUL.
The Weight of Water is a pretty good film, it's more in the tradition of Kathryn Bigelow's wonderful 1987 film Near Dark (one of the best vampire movies ever).
In the end, they are as alone as they were in the beginning of the movie, left to rebuild some vestige of themselves knowing they have lost control and lost the very love they sought.Although the double narrative of the film may be less than obvious to the average viewer, you need only follow the dialogue and subtle interactions of the characters to find a good story here.
I guessed the ending early on but still was gripped by the development of the "real story".I thought the performance of Sarah Polley was outstanding..I was mesmerized by her every time she was on the screen.
One for the modern day story with Sean Penn, Catherine McCormack, Liz Hurley and Josh Lucas, and an entirely independent vote for the original mystery in the 1800's centered around Sarah Polley's character.
Frustrating indeed given the excellent work of Polley.The 'story' centers around a couple (Penn and McCormack) whose marriage is troubled and who decide to leave their kid at home for the weekend while they use a photographic assignment that McCormack has as a chance to hook up with her brother-in-law, Lucas and his new girlfriend, Hurley.
McCormack as Jean tries to give her character whatever depth one can in the middle of a masturbatory set of acting sequences but still manages to fail, and surprisingly, at least for me, only Josh Lucas as Penn's younger brother comes across without making you want to put a fly swatter to the screen.
In fact, this side of the plot is so self-absorbed that one wonders why it was even included, besides from the fact that it was in the novel, thus making it necessary to be put down on film (what a waste).All of that being said, the real 'mystery' in this story lies in why after viewing all the footage, Bigelow didn't just decide to put politics aside and focus only on telling the events of the double killing in the late 1800's on Shoal Island.
As I watched this film, I would increasingly be waiting for the 'modern' day bunch to finish spouting off their lines so that I could get back to Maren and the other interesting and diverse characters that comprised the REAL story.
All in all, I believe if Miss Bigelow had just gone with a murder mystery in the 1800's with the extremely talented Sarah Polley delivering the performance she did, this movie would have really been something.
Good performances by Sean Penn, Sarah Polley and Catherine McCormack.Great setting and cinematography..
The acting is pretty good, but in comparison with the overall story, makes a very funny reaction (I found it more a comedy than a drama).If you are interested in very beautiful Norway-like landscapes and ain't worried about the plot, watch it, at least you'll have a few laughs, if you're time is worthy, then pass out and better watch a Kitano movie..
I thought this movie was okay, not bad nor good.The movie is about a woman named Jean James, who is a photographer and is doing a story on some murders that happened in 1873 (I'm almost 100% sure that's the year), where two women were hacked to death.
Another dumb thing about the movie is the connection between the characters played by Sean Penn and Elizabeth Hurley, I mean it looks like they are going to start an affair or something but nothing happens, that's why maybe it would've been better to stay on the modern part and try to develop the characters more.
The real stars whomake this film a winner are Sean Penn as Thomas, an alcoholic andmelancholic poet who hasn't picked up pen in years, and Sarah Polley as aNorwegian immigrant (Maren) who struggles with a cold marriage, adesperate secret and a building internal rage that threatens her sanity.Catherine McCormack is excellent as well in the role of Thomas' wife Jean,a photojournalist researching an old murder case from 1873 (the film isbased on Kathryn Bigelow's book and the murder on the Island of Shoalsactually happened).
The storm scene is a bit forced and seems contrived,but if the viewer can excuse about 13 minutes of the film, the other100 feature performances that border on virtual genius.The only lead that fails as a character lacking any depth whatsoever isRich (played by Josh Lucas), Thomas' brother and Adaline's beau.
Catherine McCormack plays a journalist who, along with her husband (Sean Penn) and another couple (Elizabeth Hurley and Josh Lucas), sails to the location of a century old New Hampshire axe murder that's lone witness was a young housewife (Sarah Polley).
I think that Sean Penn is an excellent actor but here he was acting a totally annoying character, what made him think this film was a good idea!Elizabeth Hurley acted like the muppett she is, sticking her tits out for all the lads and using her sexuality as she has no acting skills.
A photographer investigates the brutal murder of two women in 1873Starring Sean Penn, Sarah Polley, Catherine McCormack, Elizabeth Hurley, Ciaran Hinds and Josh Lucas.Written by Alice Arlen ( Screenplay ) , Christopher Kyle ( Screenplay ) and Anita Shreve (Novel).Directed by Kathryn Bigelow.I have no problem with any of the acting performances and this isn't a bad movie by any length of rope and it just about kept my interest all the way.The problem lies in the two so called parallel stories.
The movie was based on a real murder,however, the location where it was filmed is nothing like New Hampshire.
Weight of Water, The (2002) Catherine McCormack, Sarah Polley, Sean Penn, Josh Lucas, Elizabeth Hurley, Ciaran Hinds, Ulrich Thomsen, Anders W.
Oh boy, this movie is a tough sell, no wonder it hasn't been released cause no matter how you will market it, it will disappoint.Fantastic opening sequence.Kathryn Bigelow is an amazing director but this one fails on certain levels which will kill it.There are two interwoven stories, one set in the past and one in the present day.
After watching the film, I honestly don't know if it is meant to be the case that the Sean Penn character had an affair with the Elizabeth Hurley Character, whether she was trying to seduce him, whether he and his wife are happy, and many more things that are hard to mention without creating spoilers.Watch something else!.
There is a double murder and a clumsy itinerant is charged, tried, and hung.After every few scenes, the story changes to the present, where Jean (Catherine McCormack), her husband Tom (Sean Penn), his brother Rich (Josh Lucas) and Rich's new bed-warmer Adaline (Elizabeth Hurley) are cooped up in a small yacht.
The strong cast in the present story (Sean Penn, Josh Locus, Elizabeth Hurley) has to contend with the platitude in the script and make the best of it..
If I may (some possible spoilers) To me this movie told the story of two women in two very different times enduring the circumstances of their lives both of which come to a head in the location around the same island.
The whole cast is very professional, with highlights to Sean Penn, whose performance surely brought a lot of mystery to the film, and to Sarah Polley, whose character is the most controversial one.
The Movie had most of it going for it, an interesting story, a great director (one of my favorites) and good actors (not counting Elizabeth Hurley).
Or more importantly, who really cares?!This movie tediously switches between these 1873 murders and the modern day story of a woman investigating the crime over 100 years later.
In reading the book I had a very difficult time imagining the terrain and space in which those events occurred, and hoped that, like some other film adaptations, the movie would fill in the spaces in my imagination and complete the story in a physical way.