Solemplex
To me, this movie is perfection.
VeteranLight
I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
Allison Davies
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
gizmomogwai
Bring Denis Villeneuve back to Canada! Maelstrom is an early effort from the director who brought us Incendies (2010) and Arrival (2016), and a surprisingly strong one. This is from a director who's been hit and miss for me; Polytechnique and Sicario were overly dry, while Enemy was enormously derivative. Maelstrom is obviously a film with a unique vision, told by a dying fish. We have an abortion, which will enrage some of the audience, but playing Good Morning Starshine next as she leaves sets a humourous, ironic tone. Much of this tone prevails; while I was expecting something darker like Incendies, a colourful, unique tone runs throughout Maelstrom. After learning she accidentally kills a man with a vehicle, she confides in a stranger who tells her what's done is done; later, the son of the man falls in love with her, and in a quirk of fate, he confides in the same stranger who tells her what's done is done. Maelstrom is the kind of movie that's more than a movie; it's an experience like no other.
Aaron White
Excellent first major independent feature from Villeneuve and it demonstrates real, intelligent, talent. The lead actress, Marie-Josée Croze, is perfect in her role, I wouldn't want it any other way. This is one of those films I wish I could have been creatively involved in in any way because just being a part of it is a special thing. It's a special indie film from the grand year 2000. This is a film for serious viewers with deeper interests in film. I wouldn't recommend to someone just because they say they love Villeneuve's Prisoners. I would recommend it to someone who is really into film.
SnoopyStyle
A creepy fish being chopped up by a bloody butcher tells the story of 25 year old Bibiane Champagne (Marie-Josée Croze). She owns clothing boutiques and just got an abortion. She is struggling in her life and then kills fishmonger Annstein Karson in a hit and run accident. Reporter Marie-Jeanne Sirois interviews her about being a daughter of celebrity Flo Fabert. Suffering from the guilt, she drives her car off the pier. She encounters Annstein's son Evian at the funeral home and pretends to be Annstein's neighbor.On the good side, the surrealism is memorable. The crumbling of Bibiane is palpable. Croze is terrific. On the other hand, the movie is a bit confused. The flow of the story is a bit disjointed. Nevertherless, there is an edginess and originality in Denis Villeneuve's vision.
richard-mason
Someone has to put a counterview, and I'm happy to do it. The film starts promisingly, with the fish head narrator, but descends so quickly into arty pretentiousness that any goodwill is quickly squandered. I found it so unbearably up itself that I walked out, something I rarely do. It was probably the worst film I saw at the 2001 Sydney Film Festival.
