Maelstrom (2000)
March 11, 2025 4:53 PM - Subscribe
Long before Dune and Blade Runner 2049, long before LA, Denis Villeneuve made a movie in Quebec that mashed up kitchen-sink drama, dark humour, Tom Waits songs, and a narrator that is also a dying fish.
Maelstrom was a high-water mark for Quebec film in 2000, and by and large still holds up.
The story, in a nutshell, is that nepo baby Bibiane is bad at business and not super great at life: she's blown a $200,000 deal for the family business, parties recklessly, and ultimately drunk-drives herself into a hit-and-run. She runs.
From there, scored partially by Tom Waits' "The Ocean Doesn't Want Me Today," the movie loops around as Bibiane grapples with guilt, falls in love with the son of the man she murdered, and finds, if not happiness, some sort of French-Canadian approximation of same. The plot is driven in part by stale octopus and a mysterious man who looks like a Harkonnen Oliver Platt that dispenses wisdom at laser-perfect moments.
If you didn't live in Quebec in the late '90s, it's hard to express how perfectly Marie-Josée Croze absolutely nails the ur-Quebec-Woman of that era -- the look, the hair, the clothes are insanely bang-on. And the movie lives in Montreal really successfully -- the upper-class apartments but also the dive bars, the docks, the bus, the subway.
The movie is narrated, for no particular reason, by a Cronenberg-level gross fish that is being serial-butchered by a giant naked dude. Quebec!
It's achingly obvious that Villeneuve has grown as a director since; there's significant chunks of "student film vibe" scattered around here. But it's got a lot of loopy charm, it's a compelling time capsule if you want a feeling for Quebec au tournant du siecle, the leads are charming, and it's interesting to see L'il Villeneuve as a nascent film director finding his feet.
Maelstrom was a high-water mark for Quebec film in 2000, and by and large still holds up.
The story, in a nutshell, is that nepo baby Bibiane is bad at business and not super great at life: she's blown a $200,000 deal for the family business, parties recklessly, and ultimately drunk-drives herself into a hit-and-run. She runs.
From there, scored partially by Tom Waits' "The Ocean Doesn't Want Me Today," the movie loops around as Bibiane grapples with guilt, falls in love with the son of the man she murdered, and finds, if not happiness, some sort of French-Canadian approximation of same. The plot is driven in part by stale octopus and a mysterious man who looks like a Harkonnen Oliver Platt that dispenses wisdom at laser-perfect moments.
If you didn't live in Quebec in the late '90s, it's hard to express how perfectly Marie-Josée Croze absolutely nails the ur-Quebec-Woman of that era -- the look, the hair, the clothes are insanely bang-on. And the movie lives in Montreal really successfully -- the upper-class apartments but also the dive bars, the docks, the bus, the subway.
The movie is narrated, for no particular reason, by a Cronenberg-level gross fish that is being serial-butchered by a giant naked dude. Quebec!
It's achingly obvious that Villeneuve has grown as a director since; there's significant chunks of "student film vibe" scattered around here. But it's got a lot of loopy charm, it's a compelling time capsule if you want a feeling for Quebec au tournant du siecle, the leads are charming, and it's interesting to see L'il Villeneuve as a nascent film director finding his feet.
It's the Frenchest French AFAIK, the version I saw on Crave was FR with only French audio. I had French subtitles on (my ear has deteriorated to the point that I need to see the text) but didn't check for EN.
posted by Shepherd at 8:41 AM on March 12
posted by Shepherd at 8:41 AM on March 12
There was a good English subtitled version on Criterion a while back, which is where I saw it. I didn't love it but I agree with the loopy charm comment.
I rated August 32nd on Earth the higher of his two early films before he hit his stride. Good performances and a real sense for liminal spaces.
posted by Bryant at 11:05 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
I rated August 32nd on Earth the higher of his two early films before he hit his stride. Good performances and a real sense for liminal spaces.
posted by Bryant at 11:05 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
Chilly and austere fishy abortion movie?
Can't wait for him to make God Emperor of Dune.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 4:19 PM on March 12 [1 favorite]
Can't wait for him to make God Emperor of Dune.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 4:19 PM on March 12 [1 favorite]
The movie is narrated, for no particular reason, by a Cronenberg-level gross fish that is being serial-butchered by a giant naked dude. Quebec!
This is basically the dictionary definition of threatening me with a good time; I'll have to look this up.
posted by phooky at 4:54 PM on March 12 [1 favorite]
This is basically the dictionary definition of threatening me with a good time; I'll have to look this up.
posted by phooky at 4:54 PM on March 12 [1 favorite]
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posted by Kyol at 7:11 AM on March 12