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The Weight of Water

Play trailer Poster for The Weight of Water R Released Nov 1, 2002 1h 53m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
34% Tomatometer 64 Reviews 38% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
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.
The Weight of Water

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The story is too muddled to build any interest.

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Critics Reviews

View All (64) Critics Reviews
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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (187) audience reviews
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 Read all reviews
The Weight of Water

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

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
A. Kitman Ho, Janet Yang, Sigurjon Sighvatsson
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)