Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

vchimpanzee After a tragedy, teenager Claire is brought to an coastal fishing village, which based on the closing credits must have been in Nova Scotia. Her mother Fiona has split up with Claire's father Max (who is not seen, though there is a phone conversation when the phone actually works). They are staying with Uncle Pete, and Claire hates being cut off from the world. In flashbacks, she is shown playing the violin with an orchestra of some sort, and she seems to like one of the boys in the orchestra. She brings the violin with her and does play once. A reference is made to the family living in Berlin, and the closing credits do refer to Berlin, Germany, but no one in this movie has an accent that would suggest they are German. I thought maybe these people were Scottish or Irish.One day while swimming in the ocean, Claire sees a package. It turns out to be a manuscript of a story by Celia, a cranky old woman. At first, Celia seems to want nothing to do with anyone else, but when Claire expresses an interest in the story, and this makes Celia happy. As Celia tells the story, we see it happen. Claire seems to cheer up whenever she visits Celia, but otherwise she remains quite bitter.A baby is born to Rose, the first baby of the fishing season, in a village that is one of the best places anywhere for fishermen. The people wonder if this baby will be "the one," as if she is something evil. The baby is baptized, and yet still people behave as if she is evil.Silly, the little girl, helps the fishermen out. She appears to be a hard worker. And shortly before she turns 16, she is pretty but quite a tomboy and certainly rough-natured. This must have been a family movie because surely such a girl in real life would have used language nice girls shouldn't hear, but Silly is almost G-rated. Almost.And then it happens. Every 50 years since the Vikings arrived nearly a thousand years earlier (probably not counting the years after the Vikings gave up on this place), there has been some sort of tragic death, and the fish have disappeared. It is called "the curse". The people are ready to give up, but Silly believes the fish will come back.After she steals the doctor's boat and wrecks it, Silly must go to work for the doctor, who also rents out rooms, to pay him back. He is a stern and demanding taskmaster, yet Silly continues with her attitude. Then comes the day a large ship docks in the community. Admiral Griggs wants to build a military base which would require changes that would put an end to fishing, even if the fish would have come back. Based on the date on a tombstone, all of this is taking place shortly after World War II. The admiral, his spoiled wife, and their handsome son James stay with the doctor, and Silly must tend to their every need. Actually, James stays in a tent on the beach, but Silly doesn't mind taking care of him, if you know what I mean.There are parallels to the present day. On the radio, it is announced that once again fishing has ended in this town and developers want to take over and make the community prosperous again.And Claire and Silly are both teens who are rebellious and misunderstood, who have had difficulties in their love life.Kirsten Dunst is the real reason to watch this movie. She does such a wonderful job, and of course her looks add something, even if her appearance isn't consistent with her character's background. I wouldn't have even known Lynn Regrave, but I guess she is getting up in years. She too gives a very good performance. And Brent Carver is quite good as Silly's frustrated father. I will say everyone with a leading role does a good job.I liked the traditional music at a dance.Overall, I found this movie depressing. I was glad there were some pleasant scenes and even some humor, but this movie is probably intended for women or girls who "enjoy a good cry." That isn't me. I was particularly distressed with the progress of Claire's character. But if you are someone who keeps a supply of Kleenex for your favorite movies, and you enjoy stories about life on the coast where civilization hasn't quite caught up, this is a good choice.

Ravenswing There's no question that the depiction of the culture is rich, the cinematography generally excellent and the acting more or less sound. While I agree with other comments about the vagaries of Dunst's accent and how nice it would have been to see more authentic and less Enyaesque music, there's no need to belabor that. But ...how in the heck is a young naval officer so stupid as to pitch a permanent tent fifty feet from the shoreline in Newfoundland? what exactly (if anything) is Claire "sacrificing" at the end to get the fish to come back? why does a poor village in the back-of-beyond just abandon the village church after suffering a modest fire, without just repairing it? why would a capable, experienced young woman such as Silly do nothing more than scream while James is drowning? Fishing villages have life-threatening situations all the time, and there is ample rope even on a small schooner to throw to a fellow no more than 15 yards from the boat.Why is Claire's mother so supremely stupid as to not figure out why dragging her daughter to Nowhere, NF, could possibly bore her? (Oh, and exactly where was the cell tower so she could use her cell phone, anyway?) There are just a few too many such flaws to sustain suspension of disbelief, and combined with plot elements of such subtlety -- is the doctor Silly's father, for instance? -- as to be impenetrable, it's not a movie I'd go out of my way to see again.5/10.

mxracer157 A beautiful story. truly the best acting job I have seen in a movie in years. Dunst does a wonderful job as a happy go lucky teenager. She does a great job showing how love can possess anyone. The story of the 50 year heist of fish leaves one wondering who is can be. Dunstdoes a wonderful job acting, but Lynn Redgrave does an even better job in the end. It doesn't come out until the end that Redgrave is Silly. One of the best dramatic acting rolls I have seen in ages. Perhaps the best acting job is done by Julia Brendler. You don't see that she too is the 50 year recipient. The pain and anger she feels at losing her first love comes to play as she realizes she is the one. the movie ends with her accepting this fate and starts to play her violin again. A truly great movie, every piece falls into place at the end. wonderfully written, wonderfully acted, wonderfully directed!

moralq This is an astonishingly stupid movie.Though the cinematography is grand, the rest stinks: acting, accents, plot, editing, you name it.We're supposed to accept that a "CURSE" (woooooo, are you scared yet?) was cast on a Nova Scotian island by a drowning Viking couple! causing all the fish to leave every 50 years (FISH! Are you paying attention, fish?) causing hard times for the fish-killing islanders until the "first born" of the fishing season every half century takes a lover who is lost and lamented. You can hardly imagine a stupider myth to hang a movie on.Unless you intercut TWO stories of the previous mythbuster and the current one, illustrating uncanny parallels and playing it all out with no surprises.Just about everything in this mess of a film is unmotivated, implausible, unbelievable, inexplicable.The character Celia (Lynn Redgrave) is a writer whose mythic tale touching on these events a publisher has just rejected -- we can see why! That's the only honest touch.