Dark Water (2005)
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A mother's struggle for custody of her daughter leads her into a dilapidated apartment complex haunted by a vengeful spirit.
The story
Dahlia and her ex-husband Kyle struggle over the custody of their five-year-old daughter, Ceci. Dahlia moves into a dilapidated apartment complex on Roosevelt Island, where the bedroom ceiling begins to leak dark water. Despite her concerns about the plumbing and the dangerous rooftop, she remains in the building. Dahlia soon becomes haunted by ghostly visions and a recurring nightmare involving a family from the apartment above. As Ceci begins interacting with an 'imaginary friend' and experiences frightening incidents in the bathroom, Dahlia grows increasingly paranoid about the safety of her daughter.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Dahlia and her ex-husband Kyle are in a custody battle over their daughter, Ceci. Dahlia moves Ceci into a run-down apartment building on Roosevelt Island. The apartment suffers from leaking 'dark water,' and Dahlia discovers a portrait of the previous tenants, the Rimsky family. Dahlia becomes haunted by visions of Mrs. Rimsky, who threatens Ceci. Meanwhile, Ceci begins talking to an 'imaginary friend' named Natasha. One day, Ceci passes out in the bathroom as water gushes from the fixtures. Dahlia eventually discovers Natasha's body in the water tower and learns that the building's superintendent, Veeck, allowed the girl to drown through neglect. Natasha returns as a vengeful ghost, jealous of Ceci. When Dahlia decides to move Ceci to Kyle's home, Natasha appears and attempts to drown the child. Dahlia promises to be Natasha's mother, but Natasha then drowns Dahlia by flooding the bathroom. Dahlia's ghost remains to haunt Ceci, who eventually moves in with Kyle. Dahlia's spirit briefly traps Ceci in an elevator before Kyle takes her away.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 105
- Production countries
- United States; Japan
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Walter Salles
- Writers
- Rafael Yglesias · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Jennifer Connelly · Dahlia; Tim Roth · Kyle; John C. Reilly · Platzer; Pete Postlethwaite · Veeck; Dougray Scott; Camryn Manheim; Perla Haney-Jardine; Ariel Gade
- Genres
- supernatural horror; psychological thriller
- Themes
- abandonment; motherhood; neglect
- Tone and mood
- unsettling; claustrophobic; suspenseful
- Premise and plot tags
- ghost story; haunted house; supernatural; psychological horror
- Source material / true-story basis
- Based on the short story "Floating Water" by Koji Suzuki.
- Reception
- The film received mixed to average reviews, with critics noting its atmosphere but criticizing the lack of genuine scares. It holds a 47% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 52/100 on Metacritic, with audiences giving it a D- on CinemaScore.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 47% · review count: 154
- Production trivia
- The film is a remake of a 2002 Japanese film.; The screenwriter Koji Suzuki also wrote the Ring trilogy.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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