Wir sind die Flut

What an eerie take on the timeless J.M. Barrie classic we have in the German mind-messer "We Are the Tide". Never has Neverland been represented more seductively, nor more ominously, then it is here.

Writer Nadine Gottmann's tale of a group of children seemingly taken away by the sea never to be seen again is a supernatural mystery chock full of sadness, symbolism and self-awakening. Director Sebastian Hilger, Cinematographer Simon Vu, Leonard Petersen's moody music and the wizardry of a visual effects team led by Peter Lames combine to create a film as mesmerizing to behold as it is nearly impossible to explain.

In the end, it appears reasonable to surmise that "We Are the Tide" presents to us the age old question: If you could live forever would you do it?

Well. Would you?

This film is very problematic from a single but enormous point of view, it does not make the slightest sense, all the scenes and events follow each other to lead to a natural ending without the slightest sense and it is a shame because the film itself is very beautiful and manages to genuinely intrigue the viewer thanks to the great enigma of the tide and the missing children.

The whole plot revolves around this enigma and the protagonists play everything to find out and continue to try and try again even if they have everything against and do all this to arrive at a conclusion of a senseless that is almost frightening, the viewer feels almost teased after being entranced by the events is practically destroyed by the incompleteness of this ending.

I have to start off by stating this review is much based on personal preference. Obviously user reviews are like that by design but in this case it might even be more true than usual. It IS one of the "love it or hate it" movies par excellence.

I did indeed love the movie overall - actually so very much i was drawn to write my first review after reading user opinions here on IMDb for half my life.

If you are regularly inspired by atmospheric dense movies rather than character portraits or clever plot twists this might be one for you. The driving force behind the movie to me was the almost mythical world it was able to create. The setting is a small northern german coastal village. The sea, the coastline and the bleak countryside are painted in grey and blue color scheme that gave the nature around the town a harsh, almost life repelling feel.

But predominantly is the feeling of emptiness delivered by the open skies, the clear fields and the sea with no end in sight. This is beautifully intertwined with the main plot, the disappearance of the ocean.

Another key of what might have made this movie work so well is the excellent score. I cannot stress this fact too much. It is what makes a movie of this type work or not. Generally i was drawn to movies with a music that supports certain aspects of a movie, be it by creating tension or just by giving it a certain underlying tone the director wanted the movie to have - Hans Zimmers work in "Interstellar" comes to mind as the latest example.

All other aspects of the movie fall off in comparison to the quality of the above described - and the other reviewers maybe right to focus on that. The lead acting is mediocre, not bad. I did like some of the sidecast (especially Karl). The general plot idea is actually quiet imaginative. The camera work is, as far i can judge, beyond standard if not actually really good. The underlying, later presented moral conclusion of the movie felt heavy handed and daft on one side - then again the movie never aimed to be a philosophical epitom.

...You don't get a movie that just lives off panoramic scenes. You get a movie full with human interaction, be it loss, grief or love, which is uplifted by the intense atmospheric background this movie was able to deliver.

This movie is so boring I fell asleep twice while watching it. It's only a little over an hour long, but it feels like three hours. I liked some of the shots and most of the actors, but the characters they play are so bloodless I couldn't get myself to care about what happens to them. The story is a hodgepodge of mystery, conspiracy, family drama, and random romance. I recommend this movie if you have trouble sleeping, high blood pressure, or a short temper. It will calm you down no end. Put it on mute to spare yourself the ludicrous dialogue. Sample line: Some people are afraid of the void.