Maelstrom (2000)

80% of critics liked it
(35 reviews)
81% of users liked it
(1,799 ratings)

Love, death, and fish all mingle in this offbeat comedy-drama from award-winning Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. Bibiane Champagne (Marie-Josee Croze) is the daughter of a well-known fashion designer who dabbles in modeling when she's not busy helping to run the family business with her brother… More Love, death, and fish all mingle in this offbeat comedy-drama from award-winning Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. Bibiane Champagne (Marie-Josee Croze) is the daughter of a well-known fashion designer who dabbles in modeling when she's not busy helping to run the family business with her brother Phillippe (Bobby Beshro). But Bibiane has not been especially happy in her work lately, owing in part to an unexpected pregnancy that led her to have an abortion. Bibiane tries drowning her sorrows in alcohol and drugs, and late one night, after several drinks too many, she hits a jaywalker while driving home. The pedestrian staggers away after the accident, and the next morning, Bibiane remembers what happened and is frightened at the prospect that she may have killed someone. When Bibiane reads a newspaper account the next day of a seafood delivery man who died in his kitchen after being struck by a hit-and-run driver, she's convinced she was responsible for the crime. Guiltily attending the man's funeral, Bibiane strikes up a conversation with his son, Evian (Jean-Nicholas Verreault), and soon the two have become romantically involved, with Bibiane unable to tell Evian her secret. Maelstrom was shown in competition at both the Montreal World Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival in 2000. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Denis Villeneuve
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Sep 15, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Apr 8, 2003
Studio: Arrow Releasing

Critic Reviews

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
Strange it is, but delightfully so.
Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News
Darkly funny and frequently insightful.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
An original little film about one young woman's education.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
This is a nervy, risky film, and Villeneuve has inspired Croze to give herself over completely to the tormented persona of Bibi.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Sensual, funny and, in the end, very touching.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Observant intelligence constantly vies with pretension -- and sometimes plain wacky implausibility -- throughout Maelstrom.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Antiseptic and distantly intellectual.
Ron Wells, Film Threat
Not too far below the gloss you can still feel director Denis Villeneuve's beating heart and the fondness he has for his characters.
Jeffrey Bruner, Des Moines Register
Most fish stories are a little peculiar, but this is one that should be thrown back in the river.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
An oddity, to be sure, but one that you might wind up remembering with a degree of affection rather than revulsion.
Joe Leydon, San Francisco Examiner
An oddly affecting and often darkly funny drama about the randomness of life and the possibility of redemption.
Mary F. Pols, Contra Costa Times
The main story ... is compelling enough, but it's difficult to shrug off the annoyance of that chatty fish.
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews
'Sophisticated' viewers who refuse to admit that they don't like it will likely call it 'challenging' to their fellow sophisticates.
Gregory Weinkauf, New Times
Offers the flash of rock videos fused with solid performances and eerie atmosphere.
Marta Barber, Miami Herald
Maelstrom is strange and compelling, engrossing and different, a moral tale with a twisted sense of humor.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Greg S

A young woman's life unravels when she has an abortion, then a few days later hits a pedestrian with her car and flees in a panic. MAELSTROM is not for anyone seeking a traditional narrative: it's an arty, surrealistic, impressionistic portrait of guilt, narrated by a fish… More
A young woman's life unravels when she has an abortion, then a few days later hits a pedestrian with her car and flees in a panic. MAELSTROM is not for anyone seeking a traditional narrative: it's an arty, surrealistic, impressionistic portrait of guilt, narrated by a fish telling the story with his last breath as he waits to be gutted and turned into seafood.
Janice :

Maelström is the brilliantly told story of a young woman dealing with the chaos that ensues from the hit-and-run she committs. I especially enjoyed how it was sometimes shot at different angles with the camera shakiness on top of that to give it a touch of confusion. Like the… More
Maelström is the brilliantly told story of a young woman dealing with the chaos that ensues from the hit-and-run she committs. I especially enjoyed how it was sometimes shot at different angles with the camera shakiness on top of that to give it a touch of confusion. Like the snowball effect, each event of the film brings about another and so on. It seems everything has a meaning and everything is linked to something else, somehow. I also liked the idea of a fish on the brink of death (about to be slaughtered actually) telling the story. It was quirky yet added a tinge of originality. Marie-Josée Croze was, as always, superb. As for Jean-Nicolas Verreault, I thought he was overshadowed by Croze and should've had more screen time. He's an okay actor anyhow! I suggest you rent this when you feel like watching drama, art house, foreign, international, what have you. Otherwise you might not appreciate this as much as you should.
Wu C

I should see this again. Wasn't a big fan the first time.

Cast

Marie-Josée Croze
as Bibiane Champagne
Stephanie Morgenstern
as Claire Gunderson
Pierre Lebeau
as The Fish

Marc Gelinas
as Stranger in Subway
Marie-France Lambert
as Marie-Jeanne Sirois
Sylvie Moreau
as Photographer

See full cast

Maelstrom (2000)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Greg S

Janice :

Wu C

Cast