The Vessel

Well, to start off I'll simply say that I am not one to delve into the theological or religious aspect of this film. I think that one should develop their opinions based on what they see and feel while immersed in the movie.

This film is about a seaside town that was devastated when a tidal wave struck. The local school took the brunt of the impact and almost every child lost their life after being swept back out to the ocean. Right away you understand that this film is going to be full of emotion.

Ten years after the incident the people in this town remain lost to their sorrow. The have not had any births and most of the younger people have left the village. The women still dress in black and have the belief that any woman who wears color is disrespectful and have turned their back on the incident.

The local priest came to the town a few months before the accident but he stayed, remained faithful and even tried to encourage the people to rebuild the school (this idea only led to a brick being thrown into a window of either the church or his residence.) Still he stayed hoping to help the community heal.

The main focus of the film is Leo. He never left, choosing to stay with his mother whose mental state took a hit after her other child lost his life during the incident. Leo has an accident and was considered to been dead by drowning only to have come back to life three hours later. Leo seems changed and he decides to build a vessel (a boat) from the scraps he finds at the school. The townsfolk see Leo's death/resurrection as a miracle and this sets up the rest of the film.

The setting and tone of this film fits perfectly for the subject. It feels tired, sad and haunted by the melodic sounds of the waves crashing against the shoreline. The acting was on point as well. There wasn't a whole lot of dialogue and I think it would have benefited greatly to have learned more about the lost children and their families.

This is a heavy movie but a great look into the lingering aftermath of tragedy and the attempts to move forward. It was a nice watch.

It is ten years after a tsunami devastated a small seaside town which destroyed the school and killed the children. Father Douglas (Martin Sheen) had started a few years before the tragedy and failed to lift the community from its grief. There are no children in what remained of the town and no one is having any more. Out of the blue, a ship sculpture appears out of nowhere, created from the destroyed school.

Apparently, this was filmed in two version either in English or Spanish. That's some old school filmmaking from the early sound era. I only know Martin Sheen in the cast. The other actors are unknown to me, but they all do great work. The subject matter is grief and all that comes with that. Terrence Malick is one of the executive producers and this film does have his dreamlike feel. This dares to tackle this tough subject and not all it is to my liking. I still appreciate those parts for the attempt.

The small budget would have made this film proper for TV only, but the acting, the setting, the story and the effects were all there to make this lift off. The story is very contrary to expected. We'd think some magic would happen with some special power but the magic is only in what people believes, which could be dark, even black, or could be light and hopeful. That the film got itself so good while being so ordinary is as if it had a bit of god in it. Yes, it's believable. Kudos to all for making this.

This film was full of surprises, all the way to the ending (no spoilers here). The storytelling is masterful, making events unfold organically; no visual detail is wasted; the loose ends tie up in unexpected ways. The four main characters are all well acted and a pleasure to watch. Martin Sheen's nuanced portrayal of the village priest makes the character feel complex and believably human, a flawed good man. I think two of the things I liked best about this film were the setting and the ensemble cast. Both the setting (a seaside village in Puerto Rico), and the ensemble's role as the entire small population of the village -- both function critically as "main characters" influencing the story. For a setting-as-character analogy, think how "Niagara"'s setting figures into its plot. The villagers as a group function almost with a "hive mind" spreading gossip instantaneously and acting as a kind of emotionally synchronized swarm. See this film if you are prepared to deal with deeper questions about human suffering and redemption. (If you loved "Sausage Party" then this film probably isn't for you).

Gave up after 40 minutes. Slow storyline with dull and depressing commentary interspersed by equally dull and depressing 'plot'.