Dark Water
Dahlia and her daughter Ceci move into a sad apartment building. Here, the two notice that the apartment they are renting is plagued by a disturbing leak of dark water from the upper floor. It is the beginning of a nightmare.
An American adaptation of the 2002 Japanese film of the same name, directed by Hideo Nakata and based on the novel by Koji Suzuki (both known for The Ring saga), Dark Water marks Walter Salles' debut in genre cinema. The Brazilian director, already internationally appreciated for Central do Brasil and The Motorcycle Diaries, tries his hand here at a psychological thriller with dark and distressing atmospheres.
The setting plays a fundamental role in building the tension: Roosevelt Island, an isolated strip of land in the waters of the East River in New York, presents itself as an oppressive place, dominated by gloomy concrete buildings and perpetually enveloped in pouring rain. Salles skillfully uses this disturbing scenario to accompany the gradual descent of the protagonists into a nightmare made of inexplicable events and threatening presences.
However, if the first part of the film manages to create a disturbing atmosphere and to increase the suspense through the interactions with the secondary characters, the ending seems rushed and predictable, ending up compromising the overall effectiveness of the story.
In any case, worth seeing.
