The Vessel

PG-13

Released Sep 16, 2016

1h 26m

Drama

List

67%

18 Reviews

Tomatometer

45%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

A tidal wave destroys a small-town elementary school and washes 46 children out to sea. Over the next 10 years, music, dancing, fireworks and childbirth all vanish from the village, which is locked in perpetual mourning. One night, a young man named Leo slips off the pier and drowns but mysteriously revives three hours later. The townspeople wonder if this is a sign from God when Leo feels compelled to build a mysterious structure out of the school's remains.

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Vanessa S

It's a hauntingly beautiful film. Gorgeous cinematography and intimate portrayals of a grieving community that can band together through hope and faith.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Mike J

Sonic I think I'm going to be a little weird but I'm going to get a

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/29/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Beautiful, contemplative, redemptive.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/26/19

Full Review

chris n

A well made film with an exotic locale and high ideals. The problem is simply that it's boring.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Serge L

The small budget would have made this film proper for TV only, but the acting, the setting, the story and the effects were all there to make this lift off. The story is very contrary to expected. We'd think some magic would happen with some special power but the magic is only in what people believes, which could be dark, even black, or could be light and hopeful. That the film got itself so good while being so ordinary is as if it had a bit of god in it. Yes, it's believable. Kudos to all for making this.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/25/17

Full Review

Audience Member

The Vessel est un film porto-ricain assez étrange en raison de son approche mais malgré tout, le message voulu passe bien et la réalisation est réussie mais le côté contemplatif du film ne plaira pas à tout le monde.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

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Julio Quintana

Director

Martin Sheen

Father Douglas

Lucas Quintana

Leo

Jacqueline Duprey

Fidelia

Aris Mejias

Soraya

Hiram Delgado

Gabriel

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94%

72%

Wildlife

TRAILER

for Wildlife

48%

59%

The 33

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for The 33

56%

82%

Spare Parts

TRAILER

for Spare Parts

38%

48%

Restless

45%

91%

So B. It

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Matthew Lickona

San Diego Reader

Whatever his influences, Quintana has made his own, fine thing: a quietly powerful depiction of the what is required to rekindle hope in the hopeless.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 21, 2016

Full Review

Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Gentle, poetic, touching.

Rated: B+

Sep 15, 2016

Full Review

Andy Webster

New York Times

A modest, but not maudlin, parable of hope about mustering the strength to vigorously plunge again into life's uncertainties after a devastating loss.

Sep 15, 2016

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

Audiences Everywhere

Julio Quintana's The Vessel is a gorgeous, lyrical film about faith that's more interested in questions than in answers.

Rated: B

Dec 27, 2018

Full Review

Jordi Costa

El Pais (Spain)

Julio Quintana turns his camera into an omniscient eye, while raising exciting questions about the distance between tragedy and miracle. [Full review in Spanish]

Dec 19, 2016

Full Review

Carlos Marañón

Cinemanía (Spain)

A clear and obvious example of the difficulty of conveying messages of spiritual transcendence through cinema. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 2/5

Nov 7, 2016

Full Review

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Synopsis

A tidal wave destroys a small-town elementary school and washes 46 children out to sea. Over the next 10 years, music, dancing, fireworks and childbirth all vanish from the village, which is locked in perpetual mourning. One night, a young man named Leo slips off the pier and drowns but mysteriously revives three hours later. The townspeople wonder if this is a sign from God when Leo feels compelled to build a mysterious structure out of the school's remains.

Director: Julio Quintana
Producer: Terrence Malick, Sarah Green
Screenwriter: Julio Quintana
Distributor: Outsider Pictures
Production Co: New Territory Pictures, Rockafellow Films, P&R Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Some Partial Nudity/Sensuality)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 16, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 2, 2017
Runtime: 1h 26m

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