The Winter Lake – There Are No Devils In a Quiet Pool
REVIEW/NATION
by Sandra Kuznetsova
22.03.2021
22.03.2021
Ireland is not only green meadows, whiskey and leprechauns, but in some places the disgusting winter weather (more like autumn, but they've got the Gulf Stream and no snow), the backwoods, poverty and melancholy so similar to the Russian one.
However, I would not say that the film The Winter Lake (2020) by Phil Sheerin from the Irish Film Festival is particularly national. The action could have taken place anywhere, but there probably wouldn't have been such an atmosphere.
However, I would not say that the film The Winter Lake (2020) by Phil Sheerin from the Irish Film Festival is particularly national. The action could have taken place anywhere, but there probably wouldn't have been such an atmosphere.
The beginning is classic – a family of a young single mother Elaine and her son Tom move to the countryside, to an old farm. They have a complicated relationship, and whether this is due to some oddities in Tom's behavior or to the fact that it seems too hard for Elaine to carry everything on herself.
The house, old and run-down, used to belong to Elaine's grandfather, and it's so cold in there that they sleep in their clothes. There is nothing around but gray, lifeless fields and a lake. An underwater river passes under the lake, it overflows periodically, and then the water goes underground again. Of course, this place attracts Tom. But he can't imagine what one day the lake will show him and what it will all turn out to be.
The house, old and run-down, used to belong to Elaine's grandfather, and it's so cold in there that they sleep in their clothes. There is nothing around but gray, lifeless fields and a lake. An underwater river passes under the lake, it overflows periodically, and then the water goes underground again. Of course, this place attracts Tom. But he can't imagine what one day the lake will show him and what it will all turn out to be.
They meet their neighbors, single father Ward and his adult daughter Holly. However, everything is not so simple, and what seemed to be one in fact has never been so. And the devils aren't in the lake at all, but among people.
Throughout the film, there is an atmosphere of mysticism and predestination, as water, darkness and secrets encourage it. However, sometimes it disappears in particularly domestic places and then the film loses a good half of its charm. But something special exists in places where there's this charm. This is largely due to cameraman Ruairí O'Brien, who masterfully had shot many scenes in the dark, let alone almost Hannibal musical accents in moments of tension.
But, abstracting from the execution, let's pay attention to the idea. I have some questions about the motivation behind some of the characters' actions. On the one hand, people are desperate and do the wrong thing, and on the other, terrible decisions are made too easily. I also have a question about the reliability of the props, but, in fact, these are small things that I decided to grumble of, as usual.
But, abstracting from the execution, let's pay attention to the idea. I have some questions about the motivation behind some of the characters' actions. On the one hand, people are desperate and do the wrong thing, and on the other, terrible decisions are made too easily. I also have a question about the reliability of the props, but, in fact, these are small things that I decided to grumble of, as usual.
After watching it you wonder: what would you do in characters' place? Complex moral questions are not so easy to solve, but it immediately becomes clear about the principles of a person in the process of discussion. If you want to test someone – be sure to watch The Winter Lake together.
The Winter Lake – There Are No Devils In a Quiet Pool
REVIEW/NATION
by Sandra Kuznetsova
22.03.2021
22.03.2021
Ireland is not only green meadows, whiskey and leprechauns, but in some places the disgusting winter weather (more like autumn, but they've got the Gulf Stream and no snow), the backwoods, poverty and melancholy so similar to the Russian one.
However, I would not say that the film The Winter Lake (2020) by Phil Sheerin from the Irish Film Festival is particularly national. The action could have taken place anywhere, but there probably wouldn't have been such an atmosphere.
However, I would not say that the film The Winter Lake (2020) by Phil Sheerin from the Irish Film Festival is particularly national. The action could have taken place anywhere, but there probably wouldn't have been such an atmosphere.
The beginning is classic – a family of a young single mother Elaine and her son Tom move to the countryside, to an old farm. They have a complicated relationship, and whether this is due to some oddities in Tom's behavior or to the fact that it seems too hard for Elaine to carry everything on herself.
The house, old and run-down, used to belong to Elaine's grandfather, and it's so cold in there that they sleep in their clothes. There is nothing around but gray, lifeless fields and a lake. An underwater river passes under the lake, it overflows periodically, and then the water goes underground again. Of course, this place attracts Tom. But he can't imagine what one day the lake will show him and what it will all turn out to be.
They meet their neighbors, single father Ward and his adult daughter Holly. However, everything is not so simple, and what seemed to be one in fact has never been so. And the devils aren't in the lake at all, but among people.
The house, old and run-down, used to belong to Elaine's grandfather, and it's so cold in there that they sleep in their clothes. There is nothing around but gray, lifeless fields and a lake. An underwater river passes under the lake, it overflows periodically, and then the water goes underground again. Of course, this place attracts Tom. But he can't imagine what one day the lake will show him and what it will all turn out to be.
They meet their neighbors, single father Ward and his adult daughter Holly. However, everything is not so simple, and what seemed to be one in fact has never been so. And the devils aren't in the lake at all, but among people.
Throughout the film, there is an atmosphere of mysticism and predestination, as water, darkness and secrets encourage it. However, sometimes it disappears in particularly domestic places and then the film loses a good half of its charm. But something special exists in places where there's this charm. This is largely due to cameraman Ruairí O'Brien, who masterfully had shot many scenes in the dark, let alone almost Hannibal musical accents in moments of tension.
But, abstracting from the execution, let's pay attention to the idea. I have some questions about the motivation behind some of the characters' actions. On the one hand, people are desperate and do the wrong thing, and on the other, terrible decisions are made too easily. I also have a question about the reliability of the props, but, in fact, these are small things that I decided to grumble of, as usual.
But, abstracting from the execution, let's pay attention to the idea. I have some questions about the motivation behind some of the characters' actions. On the one hand, people are desperate and do the wrong thing, and on the other, terrible decisions are made too easily. I also have a question about the reliability of the props, but, in fact, these are small things that I decided to grumble of, as usual.
After watching it you wonder: what would you do in characters' place? Complex moral questions are not so easy to solve, but it immediately becomes clear about the principles of a person in the process of discussion. If you want to test someone – be sure to watch The Winter Lake together.
