THE WEIGHT OF WATER

Year: 2000
USA: Lions Gate Films
Cast: Catherine McCormack, Elizabeth Hurley, Sean Penn, Sarah Polley, Josh Lucas, Ciaran Hinds, Ulrich Thomsen, Anders W Berthelsen, Katrin Cartlidge, Jan Tore Kristoffersen, Rita Kvist, Vinessa Shaw
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Country: USA
USA: 114 mins
USA Rated: R for violence, sexuality/nudity, and brief language
USA Release Date: 1 November 2002 (Limited Release)


Synopsis

An intense and sexually-charged drama of repression, love, and loss, in the past and in the present, THE WEIGHT OF WATER tells the story of a contemporary woman whose obsession with a notorious unsolved crime from the 1800s leads her to confront devastating truths in her own life.

Jean (Catherine McCormack), a photographer working on a magazine story about the case, and her husband, Thomas (Sean Penn), a troubled poet, view their trip to New Hampshire's picturesque Isles of Shoals, the scene of the crime, as a respite from their ongoing marital problems. But as Jean immerses herself in the details of the murders - an outburst of passion that resulted in the deaths of two women - she enters precarious emotional territory.

Jean's two obsessions - the murders and her deteriorating marriage - collide in explosive and unexpected ways. During a sudden storm at sea, Jean's overwhelming feelings of jealousy, frustration, and rage illuminate the terrible truth about the killer and the killings. She has a flash of insight, finally understanding what really happened the night of the murders.