The film tells the present day story of Jean (Catherine McCormack), a news photographer who sets out on a large sailboat to a remote island off the coast of New Hampshire, accompanied by her Pulitzer prize winning writer/husband, Thomas (Sean Pen), her brother-in-law, Rich (Josh Lucas), and his sexy girl friend of several months, Adaline (Elizabeth Hurley). It turns out that Thomas and Adeline already knew each other, as Thomas had introduced her to his brother, a fact of which Jean had been previously unaware. It appears that relations may be strained on this voyage, as Adeline flirts outrageously with Thomas. Jean's present is haunted by passion, jealousy, and betrayal. She feels great angst, as she senses the attraction that seems to exist between her husband and Adeline.

The purpose of the visit to the island is to view the scene of a nineteenth century double murder that saw two Norwegian, immigrant women hacked to death, which murders were much ballyhooed at the time as the crime of the century. A third woman, Maren Hontvedt (Sara Polley), survived the carnage that took the lives of her sister and sister-in-law and lived to tell the tale. It seems that a former boarder returned to their homestead, while the husbands of two of the women were away, and attacked them. He was caught, charged, tried, convicted and, proclaiming his innocence to the end, executed for his crimes.

Jean later discovers an uncatalogued statement made by the lone surviving eyewitness, Maren Hontvedt, which recounts Maren's life and the events that led up to the carnage. It reveals what actually happened. The period segment reveals that, while Maren's marriage is not a love match, she is, nonetheless, doing everything she can to make a home. When her relatives arrive from Norway, they revive past issues best left dormant. Jean begins to identify with Maren's struggles with love and marriage. Ultimately, it is through Maren's compelling story that Jean finds herself able to come to term with her own personal tragedy.

Alternating between Jean's unraveling present and the secrets of the past, the film provides an absorbing and suspenseful narrative, as it tries to tell the two stories. It is in the period piece that the film succeeds, however, painting a wonderful picture of what Maren's life was like over a century a go on that isolated island. Sarah Polley is terrific as the tragic Maren and the cinematography is magnificent. It is the period story, painting the picture of nineteenth century immigrant life, that carries the film, as it is that story that is the most compelling. The two juxtaposed dramas each come together, however, in a primal and tragic climax.

The present day story, unfortunately sinks under its own weight. Sean Penn in the role of Thomas gives a performance that makes the viewer want to slap him, so obnoxious and pretentious does he come across. He is all but laughable and so unattractive as to make one wonder what the gorgeous Adeline could ever see in him. Elizabeth Hurley is well cast as the slyly flirtatious Adeline. Josh Lucas is likable as Rich, Jean's good looking brother-in-law. Unfortunately, the anorexic looking Catherine McCormack is also not particularly likable as Jean. One begins to think that she and Thomas deserve each other. Moreover, the viewer cares little about what happens to either one of them, so unlikable are they.

The present day story deserves about two stars, while the period segment deserves at least a four, so I am rating this film with three stars. Read the book; then, watch the movie.

Simply beautiful
Review date: 2003-08-27 Rating: 10 out of 10

Where most adaptations of novels fail, this one succeeds! Based upon Anita Shreeve's book of the same name The Weight of Water is as captivating and detailed as the original.

Telling two interwoven stories (one past, one present) of love, loss and passion, it is a highly complex and subtle study of human nature. Running the risk of becoming generic or cliched through film format, this tale of moments in two women's lives excells at creating empathy with all the characters, and kept me thoroughly interested throughout.

Deviating from the novel's plot left me baffled however, as the alternative ending seemed to parallel too closely and too obviously with the other story told. The point of Shreeve's novel, I feel, is to find the importance and humanity - maybe even beauty - in 'feeling' despite the pain it can cause, and the original ending was certainly painful and far more traumatic. That said, it was still terribly interesting and saddening, and perhaps was all a viewer could take without breaking into tears!

Most interestingly about this film, is that viewing it was a joy. Instead of becoming angered by distances from the book I was intrigued by how well the details matched my imagined ones. Details were retained which didn't give much to the viewer who hadn't read the novel, but this only added to it's believable depth and kept those who had happy. Such details where even heightened through wonderfully cropped filming of the present day characters, where the structures and shapes of the claustrophobic little yacht (our main setting) emphasised the strength and personal history of the emotion involved. The soundtracking was also very sensitively composed giving extra depths to our understanding of the characters and the atmospheres of the different times and moments.

The only greivance I have is that by ending the film in the way they did, they cannot make it's sister story into a film which works with this one. Without giving the game away (!), a character dies in the movie who is alive in another of Shreeve's books (The Last Time They Met) which occurs later in time than The Weight of Water! But all I can really say in conclusion about this topic, is that having read those two books and viewed this movie, my appreciation of both was only increased.

I am greatly hoping that if another adaptation is to be made of a Shreeve novel it is as subtle, beautiful and understanding as this one.

Hey, Liz Hurley was even good as the other woman, so it's a quality film all round! Brilliant acting, brilliant story, brilliant settings, filming and soundtracking.

See it! Then read both the books!

Product Details/Specifications