Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Maelstrom

Play trailer Poster for Maelstrom R 2002 1h 35m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
79% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Bibiane (Marie-Josée Croze), a wealthy part-time model, questions her seemingly perfect life after she has a traumatic abortion. She succumbs to substance abuse and, while driving drunk one night, strikes a pedestrian and drives off. The next morning, she learns of a man who died after a hit-and-run. Wracked with guilt, she attends the man's funeral. There, she meets his son, Evian (Jean-Nicolas Verreault), and the pair begin a romance. But Bibiane is afraid to tell Evian her dark secret.
Maelstrom

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A peculiar breach of morality that leads with pretension: Denis Villeneuve guides Maelstrom through teetering absurdity without malicious intent.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune 08/01/2002
3.5/4
Strange it is, but delightfully so. Go to Full Review
Philip Wuntch Dallas Morning News 06/06/2002
B
Darkly funny and frequently insightful. Go to Full Review
Mick LaSalle San Francisco Chronicle 05/10/2002
3/4
An original little film about one young woman's education. Go to Full Review
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Feb 6
6/10
The notions that life is messy and consequences can be exceptionally complex and whimsically unknowable are effectively quaint here. Go to Full Review
Jas Keimig The Stranger (Seattle, WA) 12/09/2021
Perhaps the film's best part is its unconventional narrator-a fish on a fishmonger's chopping block...it's a fantastical and welcome intervention to an otherwise soapy movie. Go to Full Review
Brian D. Johnson Maclean's Magazine 10/15/2019
Directed with astonishing flair by Denis Villeneuve, and powered by a charismatic performance from Marie-Josée Croze, this is an art film that is more bracing than most, surfing themes of guilt and despair without getting dragged down by the undertow. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Benjamin T 08/13/2023 It's a solid psychological drama. Not sure why people gave it an average score. Maelstrom is a perfect title to describe the events that unfold in this one. There are some interesting surprises. The acting is fairly decent. Denis Villeneuve shows why he's one of the best and is quite creative at what he does. I didn't mind the fish telling the tale either. It's just a unique device, that's all. Not sure why people are fussy about this at all. See more 09/07/2022 Denis Villeneuve's sophomore effort shows signs of artistic ambition but doesn't reach its full potential. Visually it's arresting, as Villeneuve knows how to intrigue and captivate with his succession of shots, and striking moments aren't absent, also thanks to the difficult, interesting themes. However, the plot remains fairly simple and the characters arguably needed a little more development, a little more time - the last fifteen minutes especially are too rushed to make much of an impact. See more 10/19/2021 When the first scene started I didn't even realize I was watching a fish until it moved its mouth. This plot wasn't anything special, with the only unique part being a fish telling the story. People and things are somehow related, like we are living in a small world. Mostly predictable and boring, I don't think this one is as thought provoking or profound as it seemed to be. 4.5/10 See more 08/21/2021 [⭐️60%] For a director with so many fantastic movies, Maestrom (2000) is certainly one which doesn't stand beside those of Denis Villeneuve recent work, largely down to his age and how inexperienced he was at the time. There are certainly some promising signs with how things are shot and specific reveals but as a movie overall it doesn't come together like he would have intended. The themes Villeneuve was going for arrived at where he intended however the journey there felt inconsistent, awkward and at times confusing. This mixed in with some other sequences allowed for overall a fairly forgettable movie, the one thing which will forever stay in your mind is the narrating fish! Villeneuve directed Maelstrom (2000) early on in his career, and you can certainly see the promising signs which made him such a fantastic director nowadays, but this was a learning curve for him. See more michael d 09/16/2020 Pretty good flick though a lil fishy. See more 09/05/2020 A surrealist romance with poetic imagery and reaching moral questions. See more Read all reviews
Maelstrom

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Movie Info

Synopsis Bibiane (Marie-Josée Croze), a wealthy part-time model, questions her seemingly perfect life after she has a traumatic abortion. She succumbs to substance abuse and, while driving drunk one night, strikes a pedestrian and drives off. The next morning, she learns of a man who died after a hit-and-run. Wracked with guilt, she attends the man's funeral. There, she meets his son, Evian (Jean-Nicolas Verreault), and the pair begin a romance. But Bibiane is afraid to tell Evian her dark secret.
Director
Denis Villeneuve
Producer
Roger Frappier, Luc Vandal
Screenwriter
Denis Villeneuve
Distributor
Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm, Arrow Entertainment, Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc.
Production Co
SODEC, Max Films Productions, Téléfilm Canada
Rating
R (Strong Nudity|Language|Abortion Scene|Strong Sexuality)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 5, 2002, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
Jan 17, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$353.7K
Runtime
1h 35m
Sound Mix
Surround
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)