DARK WATER

New York, 2005, life is not easy for Dahlia: a difficult childhood behind her, a failed marriage in the present, and a 5-year-old daughter to raise alone. The separation from her husband soon proves to be a difficult situation that risks degenerating, so, for the sake of little Cecilia, the mother decides to move away from the father. The economic situation is not the best either, so the only solution seems to be crossing the river and living in a large, dilapidated urban conglomerate in need of deep restoration. Shortly after moving into the new apartment, due to the torrential rain, a water leak forms on the ceiling of the bedroom, which, along with mysterious noises coming from the upper floor, begins to disturb Dahlia and her daughter. Unfortunately, the 10F apartment has been uninhabited for months, ever since the Russian family living there mysteriously disappeared one day... Another Japanese horror film to undergo the "Hollywood treatment," "Dark Water," at least in its original version, a film by Nakata based on a subject by Suzuki (the successful duo of "Ringu") had positively impressed much of the public in the Far East and beyond, thanks to its minimalist story that described the social situation of abandonment and decay of the vast metropolitan suburbs of Japan, even though it was not a particularly scary story but rather sinisterly melancholic. Unfortunately, this remake is not up to the original, once again, one might say, considering the results of "The Grudge" and, partially, "Ring" and "Ring 2." What's wrong? This is the question to ask after watching it, and indeed, it's not easy to find the answer: the film is of undeniable technical quality, the direction by the Brazilian Walter Salles (who has directed works of a certain value such as "The Motorcycle Diaries" and "Central do Brasil") is remarkable, especially in the choice of external panoramic views of the building and the livid photography that perfectly conveys the idea of the unhealthy and degraded environment where the story unfolds. The cast, in which Jennifer Connelly shines, is always up to par; the production has been generous, even though there are no digital special effects or gore, given the nature of the film; so what doesn't work in this movie? Probably the simplest explanation is the subject, which, extracted from the cultural context in which it was born, completely loses its social meaning (New York is not the suburbs of Tokyo or Osaka) and the supernatural component (in fact, all Japanese horrors, except "Ringu," are based on the legend that the spirit of a person who died unnatural causes permeates the place of their death) is not believable in an American context, hence for "Ju-On" it was more wisely decided to set the action in Japan to avoid this problem. The final result shows all the weaknesses of this trend that, through the American film industry, now in a crisis of ideas (not box office, though...) almost irreversible, is only capable of recycling ideas from the past or other countries, while famous directors encounter enormous difficulties in producing screens, are occupied by soulless copies or films adapted from video games, and it will be very difficult for this trend to reverse, as titles like "The Grudge 2," "La Casa," "Resident Evil 3" are already in pre-production. Returning to "Dark Water," what honestly is saved? First of all, undoubtedly Connelly, with a performance that alone is worth watching the film, absolutely perfect in the role of the mother tormented by her past and her present, to the point of doubting her mental health, also Pete Postlethwaite, a little-known actor but certainly many will remember him in "The Name of the Rose," gives an excellent performance, in the role of the building's caretaker; the photography manages to perfectly convey the squalid atmosphere, but honestly, all this is not enough to fill the void of this film.