The Weight of the Water

Kathryn Bigelow has made some great films (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty) but this is not one of them. It's one of those stories that is set partly in the present and partly in the past, in this instance over 100 years ago; usually there is a kind of link between present & past characters but it's not particularly evident here, except for Jean (Catherine McCormack) having the occasional vision, and men fancying other people's wives. Thomas (Sean Penn) can't help looking furtively at his brother's partner Adaline (Elizabeth Hurley) but that's mainly because Adaline is prone to wearing a skimpy bikini and taking her top off. Jean investigates the double murder that took place 100 years earlier and begins to believe that the wrong man was hanged and with a better script it could have been a decent film. As it is, it promises a lot but fails to deliver.

Incidentally, for those who like accuracy, the correct title is 'The Weight Of Water', not as shown by Love film.

Format: VHS

I thought this was an excellent film, beautifully and thoughtfully made. If you enjoy something a little more subtle, intelligent, thought-provoking and moving than the usual Hollywood outpourings then this is the movie for you. As another reviewer wrote, I was mesmerized by this from beginning to end. The play between the historical and the contemporary stories was brilliantly balanced and juxtaposed. The acting was superb, and the direction inspired. It left me pondering the long history of human passions and drama fueled by lust, jealousy and frustration.

The film was much better than expected, the modern storyline is a little underdeveloped in comparison to the 19th century . Enjoyable and interesting with good parallels between the two stories

This film was so disappointing that I can only be facetious. Sean Penn has very little to do, except watch Liz Hurley doing her sexpot routine - either with lust or disgust, I'm not sure which. That was the first disappointment. The second was his hair, a strange bouffant affair which looked as if he had just taken his rollers out. Very weird, coupled with the moustache.

The parallel stories were a good idea but I didn't think they related to one another all that well. And the relationships between Penn and his wife and Hurley and Penn's brother were too undeveloped

To use a simile, I would say that all the ingredients were there but like an unsuccessful omlette, the result was scrambled eggs.

I daresay Penn would prefer not to have been associated with this film. It's really second rate.

I loved this film. I could not believe that others have not rated it higher! The story line is subtle, but deep, and I found it gripping,

The way the modern day plot runs parallel to the past works excellently, bringing it home that human nature, with its passions and jealousies, is now as it was then, timeless.

Beautifully filmed, and moving, with respect to both stories.

I was mesmerised throughout.