Maelström

2000
R
1h 27m

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

7.5K

YOUR RATING

After plunging her car into a river, a woman encounters a man who helps her come to terms with her life.

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Drama

After plunging her car into a river, a woman encounters a man who helps her come to terms with her life.After plunging her car into a river, a woman encounters a man who helps her come to terms with her life.After plunging her car into a river, a woman encounters a man who helps her come to terms with her life.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

7.5K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 23 wins & 9 nominations

Trivia
Director Denis Villeneuve was disappointed with his first two movies, August 32nd on Earth (1998) and Maelström (2000), so he took a nine-year sabbatical as a stay-at-home dad. He vowed to return "when I was ready to make a film I could be proud of", which was Polytechnique (2009).

Quotes
Evian: He wasn't supposed to be cremated.
Funeral home employee: Oh no? Oops!

Crazy credits
There is text at the beginning of the movie in Norwegian: "Vi ber om unnskyldning til alle våre norske venner. Filmen viser et bilde av Norge som er basert på klisjéer. Vi skrev filmmanuset under hypnose. Vi beklager at alt i filmen er oppspinn."

It translates as: "We apologize to all our Norwegian friends. The film shows a picture of Norway based on clichés. We wrote the movie script under hypnosis. We regret that everything in the movie is a fabrication."

Connections
Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004)

Soundtracks
Good Morning Starshine
from "Hair"
Written by Galt MacDermot, James Rado and Gerome Ragni
Performed by Lynn Kellogg and Melba Moore

User reviews41

Review

Featured review

A Canadian Gem...

"Maelström" heralds the arrival of a major directorial talent. Denis Villeneuve, who not only directed but also wrote the screenplay, displays a very high level of cinematic maturity. The film itself does not lead to any profound ending but rather peels off layer by layer. It's often unpredictable and at times hilarious. One thing to note is the astonishing camera and lighting work done by young cinematographer André Turpin. If this was a Hollywood production shot by a veteren Cameraman it would scream 'Oscar!, Oscar!' but alas.. Maelström was produced in a country that provides incentives to foreign productions yet does so little in encouraging and supporting homegrown talent.