Reviews
Filipe Manuel Neto

Filipe Manuel Neto

April 4, 2023
6.0
**A film with flaws and problems, but which, in Portuguese cinema, has some innovations and originalities worthy of positive mention.** I've seen a lot of movies, but I never want to claim to be an expert on anything. However, from what I've already seen, I realized that Portuguese cinema is much more specialized in comedies and telefilms than in dramatic material. Just think of Portuguese films (even recent productions, leaving aside the great and venerable classics with Vasco Santana and others) and probably most of the titles that will come to mind are comedies. This film is therefore an outsider in the middle of the party, shall we say! So when I decided to see it I was already curious, but as I watched the film I started to think “where have I seen this before?”. To my surprise, this is a remake of another movie I had seen a few years ago, “Open Waters 2”. If a dramatic film is something unusual in Portuguese cinema, a remake of a foreign film is something I had never seen before. Director Sérgio Graciano dared, he took a different path from the others, and that is always an effort that deserves to be praised and encouraged, regardless of the result. And I want to make it clear that I leave here, to the director and the production, a special praise for doing something different. The cast has reasonably well-known actors, who do a very good job, and with a lot of realism. Dânia Neto convinces us more when she pretends to be afraid of water than when she fights with her husband just because. Diogo Amaral also does valuable work here. Lourenço Ortigão and Afonso Pimentel end up with two of the most irritating characters (the smug rich boy and the goofy guy) but manage to get away with the task at hand. Dalila Carmo ended up with a less interesting character, which didn't stop her from doing a good job. Catarina Gouveia, who everything indicated that she would be here just to appear in a bikini or without it (in the “stupid Instagram brunette” style), also has some good scenes. I particularly liked the scene where the actress panics and questions how she could die with people she doesn't even know, far from everyone who is dear to her and who truly know her. Technically, the film also has several points in its favor that deserve a mention: the cinematography is quite well achieved, with a very effective and intelligent use of light and color (the blue of the sky and sea, obviously, is the dominant color). The Madeira islands, where the film was shot, are magnificent, a piece of Paradise with the Portuguese flag pinned there, and I can't think of a better place for a film like this, although I could list several other places that might be appropriate, because we really have lucky to have a beautiful country that many of us know only the basics. The soundtrack, quite atmospheric, is good and does a smart job. Now, let's talk about some things that I think could have been better. Although I praise the relative originality of the project, I have to deplore the lack of capacity of the screenwriters and producers to create good and really original stories in Portugal. For some time now, national cinema has lived on remakes (of national films) and increasingly idiotic comedies, without intelligence or elegance. This film was a step in a new and pertinent direction, but it's still a half-hearted step. One of the flaws that deserves criticism is the fact that, more than a remake, it is a copy of “Open Waters 2”. Doing a remake is doing again something that has already been done, but that doesn't mean doing it equal, in every detail. I've seen remakes (foreign) where the production took risks and changed elements of the story, gave different endings, removed or added characters... all of this is legitimate, it can be done and adds some novelty flavor to the production. I regret that this was not done here. There is still a problem that I would like to raise… despite the credible way in which the cast worked, I felt several times that the technical team had a lot to improve, mainly in terms of the sound, the work with the sound design. The ambient and the noise of the waves, many times, almost cover up what is said by the actors and there are ways to work the sound in order to prevent that. The editing could also have been better, with better placed cuts and a series of continuity errors that are not admissible and need to be corrected. And last but not least… there's a baby on the boat. Why, during most of the time they are in the water, do those two dads barely talk about it? If I were the father, I would be more worried about him than about me. Just that.

Recommendation Movies

3.7
Thriller
View
3.7
The Exorcism of Anna Ecklund
The Exorcism of Anna Ecklund2016
5.9
Horror
View
5.9
The Last Matinee
The Last Matinee2020
6.4
Comedy
View
6.4
Good Gals
Good Gals2019
6.2
Crime
View
6.2
Hacker
Hacker2016
5.9
Comedy
View
5.9
My Girl 2
My Girl 21994
6.2
Horror
View
6.2
Hellraiser
Hellraiser2022
6.6
Adventure
View
6.6
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales2017
7
Adventure
View
7
Finding Dory
Finding Dory2016
7.7
Action
View
7.7
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Everything Everywhere All at Once2022
7.2
Family
View
7.2
Despicable Me
Despicable Me2010
7.2
Action
View
7.2
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman2017
7.4
Action
View
7.4
No Time to Die
No Time to Die2021
7.4
Horror
View
7.4
A Quiet Place
A Quiet Place2018
8.5
Comedy
View
8.5
Parasite
Parasite2019
7.8
Comedy
View
7.8
Knives Out
Knives Out2019
8.1
Crime
View
8.1
Joker
Joker2019
8.1
Comedy
View
8.1
The Truman Show
The Truman Show1998
8.2
Adventure
View
8.2
Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame2019
7.5
Drama
View
7.5
Ex Machina
Ex Machina2015
7.2
Animation
View
7.2
Frozen
Frozen2013
© 2024 MoovieTime. All rights reserved.Made with Nuxt