The Weight of Water

R

Released Nov 1, 2002

1h 53m

Mystery & Thriller

List

34%

64 Reviews

Tomatometer

38%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Kathryn Bigelow's intense and sexually charged drama of repression, love and loss. Juxtaposing the past and the present, "The Weight of Water" is about a 19th century murder and a contemporary woman whose obsession with a notorious unsolved crime leads her to confront devastating truths in her own life.

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Critics Consensus

The story is too muddled to build any interest.

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Audience Member

I wasn't sure what to expect, but the storyline and cast drew me in. I found myself throughly engaged throughout, and it stayed with me for a long time. This is a film that I have to watch every time it's on. I guess I love moody dramas about a historical ax-murder mystery.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

1.19.19 DVD @ home w/Sh & J

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Either one of the two stories might have been engaging on their own, if they hadn't shown their hand from the very start. A disappointment to know this comes from Kathryn Bigelow.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Sean Penn ruins it, as he does any movie.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Frances H

I found this dual story of frustrated sexual passion and murderous jealousy and rage to be intriguing. A group of skilled actors (minus Elizabeth Hurley, just there for eye candy and temptation), bring both stories to climatic and violent end, in each case built around a floundering marriage. I know that critics and audiences didn't really like it, but I did, and found it a rewarding watch, and Sarah Polley's performance brilliant.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/17/16

Full Review

Audience Member

It could be a better one

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

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Kathryn Bigelow

Director

Catherine McCormack

Jean

Sarah Polley

Maren Hontvedt

Sean Penn

Thomas

Josh Lucas

Rich

Elizabeth Hurley

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Michael Sragow

New Yorker

The boating scenes have a languid yet charged sexuality, and the performances remain vibrant and rock-solid to the end.

May 30, 2011

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

Variety

Artistically speaking, Bigelow's drama may be her most ambitous and personal film to date, a multi-layered (period and contemporary) psychological thriller that borrows from Bergman's masterpiece Persona; commercially, however, it's problematic.

Rated: B-

Dec 20, 2006

Full Review

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

But Bigelow creates such an intoxicating swell it is hard to not get drawn in to the whole convoluted mess these era-spanning characters find themselves in.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 19, 2003

Full Review

Irish Times

Rated: 3/5

Jul 17, 2009

Full Review

Film Threat

Rated: 1/5

Dec 6, 2005

Full Review

Tony Medley

tonymedley.com

Rated: 3/10

Oct 7, 2004

Full Review

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Synopsis

Kathryn Bigelow's intense and sexually charged drama of repression, love and loss. Juxtaposing the past and the present, "The Weight of Water" is about a 19th century murder and a contemporary woman whose obsession with a notorious unsolved crime leads her to confront devastating truths in her own life.

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Producer: Lisa Henson, Steven-Charles Jaffe
Screenwriter: Anita Shreve, Christopher Kyle, Alice Arlen
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Miracle Pictures
Rating: R (Sexuality|Nudity|Brief Language|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 1, 2002, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 6, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $102.6K
Runtime: 1h 53m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Stereo, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)