Under
Still Waters (2008/IFC/MPI DVD)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C- Film: C+
Carolyn Miller’s Under
Still Waters (2008) is yet another sexual triangle thriller about a couple
who finds a third person who may be a threat to their union emotionally and
sexually, not to mention with the possibility of violence. In this case, it is Andrew (Jason Clarke of Rabbit Proof Fence, the Death Race remake and Wall Street sequel) and Charlie (Lake Bell
of It’s Complicated) who meet Jacob
(the underrated Clifton Collins, Jr. of Tigerland,
most recently seen in Brothers, Boondock Saint II, Brothers and The Experiment)
whose is hit by them by accident when they cannot stop their vehicle fast
enough.
Jacob was having problems with his motorcycle in the
middle of nowhere, so they take him home and he becomes the houseguest from
hell, though this is not immediately obvious.
There are some good scenes and the acting is good, with Collins
obviously having the juiciest role, but despite efforts in Miller’s script to
make this different or even offer a female take on familiar material, it never
distinguishes itself enough to work.
Still, she can direct and there is some chemistry here, so you could do
worse, but if you see it, don’t expect anything new. Ken Howard is a plus in his supporting role.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image has some color
limits from stylizing, but was shot on 35mm film by Director Of Photography
Matthew Irving (from the underrated Waitress)
and he also makes this more involving than it would be otherwise, while the
Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is really just stretching out what is a stereo mix that
is dialogue-based. The only exception is
a few moments where the multi-channel kicks in, but that is not enough, making
the audio portion a bit uneven. The only
extra is a trailer.
- Nicholas Sheffo
