Maelström (film)
Maelström | |
---|---|
Directed by | Denis Villeneuve |
Written by | Denis Villeneuve |
Produced by | Roger Frappier Luc Vandal |
Starring | Marie-Josée Croze Jean-Nicolas Verreault |
Narrated by | Pierre Lebeau |
Cinematography | André Turpin |
Edited by | Richard Comeau |
Music by | Pierre Desrochers |
Distributed by | Alliance Atlantis |
Release dates | |
Running time | 88 minutes[3] |
Country | Canada |
Language | French |
Budget | $3.4 million[4] |
Box office | $254,380 |
Maelström is a 2000 Canadian
elements, Maelström is narrated by a talking fish.Villeneuve conceived of the story, basing it on his interest in
The film premiered at the
Plot
While being gutted alive by a fishmonger, a dying fish chooses to share a story that took place in Quebec during the autumn of 1999. A 25-year-old businesswoman named Bibiane Champagne, head of three clothing boutiques, has an abortion. She is interviewed by a journalist about her success and being the daughter of a famous person named Flo Fabert. Bibiane claims business is good, but her partner and brother Philippe accosts her for numerous failures. She is supported by her friend, Claire, but struggles with drugs and alcohol.
One night, while driving, Bibiane accidentally hits a 53-year-old
The fishmonger's son Evian, a diver who was recently inspecting the Manicouagan River, learns Annstein was cremated. This went against his plans for burial at sea. He encounters Bibiane by chance, and she poses as his late father's neighbour, helping Evian sort through Annstein's possessions. Evian falls in love with her, and she takes him away from a planned flight to have sex at her apartment. He later learns the plane crashed in Baie-Comeau with no survivors, and Bibiane tells him that she killed his father. Conflicted about his love for his father's killer, a stranger in a bar (the same man from the subway) tells him to marry her and never tell anyone.
Bibiane accompanies Evian to Lofoten to dispose of the ashes. Finally, the fish narrator decides to conclude his story by revealing the meaning of life, but is killed mid-sentence.
Production
Development
Director
It's more a film about responsibility and [clarity]. Car crashes are the most dramatic events common and closest to us. That's why I'm very interested in them ... The film is a dark tale. One of its subjects is mythology. There's a strange narrator telling the story from a fantasy world. It's a hyper-realistic film, but it goes very close to fantasy at some points.[6]
For Bibiane, Villeneuve modeled the character after numerous women he knew, one of whom he described as a "
The inspiration for the narration was a
Casting
Actor | Role | |
---|---|---|
Marie-Josée Croze | ... | Bibiane Champagne |
Jean-Nicolas Verreault | ... | Evian |
Stephanie Morgenstern | ... | Claire |
Pierre Lebeau | ... | voice of the Fish |
In summer 1999, casting began. Villeneuve sought "someone with a very specific energy" for the lead, and during casting met novice actress Marie-Josée Croze for the first time. He chose her with no pressure from the financiers to choose a better-known star.[6][10] Jean-Nicholas Verrault was cast with experience in television, while Stephanie Morgenstern was known for appearing in the 1997 The Sweet Hereafter.[6]
Filming
Release
Maelström
In early 1999,
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 79% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critical consensus states: "A peculiar breach of morality that leads with pretension: Denis Villeneuve guides Maelstrom through teetering absurdity without malicious intent".[15] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]
In 2001, an industry poll conducted by Playback named it the ninth best Canadian film of the preceding 15 years.[25]
In 2017, IndieWire ranked Maelström as Villeneuve's worst film, though not so much "a bad film so much as it is a half-baked one".[26] The Canadian Press recalled it that year as an "off-beat parable" that "showcases Villeneuve's more avant-garde sensibilities".[27]
Accolades
Maelström received 10 nominations, more than any other film at the
See also
- List of submissions to the 73rd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Canadian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- ^ a b c d Hays, Matthew (31 August 2000). "Filmmaker as a fisher of tales". The Globe and Mail. p. R.3.
- ^ a b "Maelström". Tribute. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ "Maelström". Toronto International Film Festival. 2018. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ The Montreal Gazette. p. C1.
- ^ Kamloops Daily News. 13 December 2000. p. A11.
- ^ a b c d e f Dillon, Mark (4 September 2000). "Maelstrom". Playback. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- The Toronto Star. p. D02.
- The Toronto Star. p. 04.
- The Ottawa Citizen. p. E1.
- CTV Television.
- The Vancouver Sun. p. D1.
- ^ "Maelstrom ready to hit audiences at T.O. film festival". Barrie Examiner. 26 July 2000. p. C8.
- ^ "Le film Maelström de Denis Villeneuve bien accueilli au Festival Sundance". TVA Nouvelles. 19 January 2001. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- The Montreal Gazette. p. D13.
- ^ "Maelstrom (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- ^ a b Fourlanty, Éric (13 September 2000). "Maelström: Eau-Forte". Voir (in French). Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- The Ottawa Citizen. p. E2.
- ^ Harvey, Dennis (18 September 2000). "Maelstrom". Variety. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ Ostria, Vincent (4 July 2001). "Maelstrom". Les Inrockuptibles (in French). Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (25 January 2002). "Film Review; Fathoming Meaning From a Talking Fish". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- The Los Angeles Times. Archivedfrom the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ Gonzalez, Ed (10 January 2002). "Maelström". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ Hornaday, Ann (22 March 2002). "Quirky 'Maelstrom' Ultimately Flounders". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ Michael Posner, "Egoyan tops film poll". The Globe and Mail, November 25, 2001.
- ^ Ehrlich, David (2 October 2017). "Denis Villeneuve Movies Ranked from Worst to Best". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ The Canadian Press (24 January 2017). "A look at Oscar-nominated director Denis Villeneuve's filmography". The Chronicle Herald. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ a b Lacey, Liam (13 December 2000). "Maelstrom storms the Genies". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ "Maelström". Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. 2 April 2013. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- ^ "Record 46 Countries in Race for Oscar". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 20 November 2000. Archived from the original on 5 April 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
- The Montreal Gazette. p. D1.
- ^ "Maelström nets another award". The Globe and Mail. 21 February 2001. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ "Cinq Génie pour Maelström". TVA Nouvelles. 29 January 2001. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ "Maelström blitzes Quebec's Jutra Awards". The Globe and Mail. 27 February 2001. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ Goldsmith, Jill; Smith, Travis F. (21 December 2000). "Toronto Film Crix pick 'Tiger'". Variety. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- Screen Daily. Archivedfrom the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ "Traffic and Maelstrom pick up top honours in first Vancouver Film Critics Circle awards". National Post. 19 February 2001. p. D8.
External links
- Maelström at IMDb