SummarySet in Montreal and narrated by a blood-smeared, dying fish, this is the surreal story of a young woman who accidentally kills a fish butcher and the anguish that follows.
Directed By:Denis Villeneuve
Written By:Denis Villeneuve
Maelstrom
Metascore
Generally Favorable
66
User score
Mixed or Average
4.9
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
72% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
22% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
90
A splendid instance of a surrealist vision that serves to heighten the impact of genuine emotions experienced by believably real people.
80
The story sustains a strong, hypnotic appeal well deserving of its many awards.
75
This doesn't mean Maelström is for everyone. It's a strange and quirky yarn, moving between deceptively calm scenes and episodes as tempestuous as its title.
70
Not too far below the gloss you can still feel director Denis Villeneuve's beating heart and the fondness he has for his characters. Because he does, you and I can too.
63
Maelström earns its haunting, unpredictable ending, never exaggerating Evian’s moral dilemma. Still, without non-stop techno or the existential overtones of a Kieślowski morality tale, Maelström is just another Winter Sleepers.
60
Probably the first romantic drama ever narrated by a smelly dead fish.
20
Wanders all over the map thematically and stylistically, and borrows heavily from Lynch, Jeunet, and von Trier while failing to find a spark of its own.
User score
Mixed or Average
38% Positive
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
38% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
25% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
Dec 13, 2021
6
Maelström as it name says, is a whirlpool of gray emotions. The first half was boring, but the second half was very intriguing. In this case, it felt so distant the hand of Denis Villeneuve, maybe this is the worst film of the director for me, but that doesn't mean that is bad.
Jun 22, 2025
5
Maelstrom is one of Denis Villeneuve's first films. Maelstrom is more like arthouse and drama. And as befits arthouse, I didn't understand it at all. For me, Maelstrom turned out to be a passing drama that doesn't captivate me in any way. The plot here is boring and almost does not develop in any way. Then, of course, a love line appears, which slightly speeds up the plot, but it is merged in the finale. I don't understand why I turned on Maelstrom and what I expected from him. On the one hand, I wanted to see how Villeneuve shot and how he came to his last films before he took up Dune, on the other hand, Maelstrom is a film for a very narrow audience. And if you treat the first like me, it's better to pass by.
Production Company:
- Max Films Productions
- Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles (SODEC)
- Téléfilm Canada
Release Date:Jan 25, 2002
Duration:1 h 27 m
Rating:R
Awards
Genie Awards
• 5 Wins & 10 Nominations
Jutra Awards
• 8 Wins & 8 Nominations
Vancouver Film Critics Circle
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
