“Dark Water” is a well-made movie.  It is more suspenseful than horrific, with no gore, or blood, but lots of chilling, “Don’t open that door!” moments.  Since it is a ghost movie, there are ghosts, but there is nothing satanic or ritualistic about it.

Director Walter Salles has a keen ability to create great tension and shock value through everyday items, creative sound effects, and editing.  Reflecting back, some of the scariest moments had little to do with the supernatural.  The audience is just “expecting” something to happen.  Salles played us like a violin without resulting in too many cheap tricks.  Of course a masterful, yet subtly music track by Angelo Badalamenti perfectly accents, adds to and releases the tension of each scene.

More importantly, to the filmmaker’s credit, there is a powerful theme that is reinforced several times … abandonment of a child, divorce, and the long-term effects it has on an adult. Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind”) does a masterful job as the troubled mom trying to hold a difficult situation together.

As the clever story progresses, audiences must wonder if the ghosts are real or imagined … friendly, or evil.  Will Dahlia conquer her own personal ghosts of the past so she can fight off the ghosts of the present?  As believers, we should take notice when the world considers abandonment and divorce – and their long-term effects – to be horrible enough to be a theme for a ghost story. 

Finally, good movie “rules of thumb":  Don’t leave your child alone too long lest they sing to invisible friends, and don’t put money down on an apartment that oozes.  Just a suggestion. ...
 
AUDIENCE:  Teenagers and adults

OBJECTIONABLE CONTENT:

• Drugs/Alcohol:  Main character uses (possibly over-uses) pain medication
• Language/Profanity:  One profanity
• Sex/Nudity:  None
• Violence:  Drowning, drowning attempt