Petits meurtres entre nous

Released in 1996, "Head above Water" is a black/romantic dramedy about a couple living on an island off the coast of Maine (Harvey Keitel and Cameron Diaz) and their grounds keeper (Craig Sheffer). A series of serious problems arise when the girl's ex-boyfriend visits while the guys are on a fishing trip (Billy Zane).

This is a generally entertaining farce highlighted by the beauty of both Diaz and the coastal locations. While the plot is simple you have to pay attention or you'll miss various twists where the viewer is led to believe one thing, which is then proved false by further information. I didn't pay attention too well the first time I viewed it and therefore discovered some enlightening elements on my second viewing.

BOTTOM LINE: "Head above Water" isn't bad at all, but it's not great either, although it has an interesting subtext (see below). At any rate, it's a must for Diaz fans (as well as Keitel and Sheffer) and those who love the Maine coast.

The film runs 96 minutes and was shot in Phippsburg, Maine.

GRADE: Borderline B-/C+

***SPOILER ALERT*** (Don't read further if you haven't seen the movie)

The subtext is obvious: Beautiful women equal death (think Metallica's DEATH MAGNETIC). In the movie Natalie is indirectly the cause of death of all the men, which include: the bad boy (Kent), the fatherly husband (George), her best friend from childhood who's always had a crush on her (Lance), and the policeman at the end seeking to save a damsel in distress.

Get this plot line: married couple Keitel and Diaz are on vacation (honeymoon, maybe, can't remember), on a small island. Their only neighbor is Sheffer, a friend of Diaz. Along comes Zane, as Diaz's ex-lover. He talks Diaz into letting him stay the night. The next morning when Diaz goes to check on him, he's dead. Cause of death is, appearantly, a heart attack. At that same moment Keitel and Sheffer are arriving on shore. She tries to hide the body, but Keitel stumbles onto it (literally). Did I mention that Keitel is a judge? He believes that the only solutions would be to dispose of the body, or possibly be charged with murder. At that point the question arises about his death. Could it have been murder? If so, let's look at the suspects. Diaz obviously didn't kill him, so that leaves the other two. Is it Keitel, the possibly jealous husband, or Sheffer? This plot has "potential" written all over it.

Head Above Water is a remarkable black comedy with great performances and a great script that keeps you guessing. Just when you think you've found the killer, along comes some new evidence to point you in another direction. It plays great as both a Mystery and a Comedy, although the comedy is quite subtle. Anyone with a taste for mystery and comedy is in for a real surprise. Even if you aren't into those genre's, you'll still enjoy this great film. It would be extremely hard to dislike, because it's just so much fun.

I love comedies, especially when they are dark like "Head Above Water". I remember seeing this movie for the very first time about five years ago and it had me completely in its power. But in the meantime I've seen so many good movies, that I wondered if this would still be as good as I remembered it to be. The answer is no, not completely. Yes, it is still a very nice movie, but not as great as some other dark comedies that I've seen in the recent past.

Nathalie has recently been married to George, a prominent judge who she met when she had to stand trial. They now have taken a holiday in Nathalie's idyllic summerhouse in the middle of nowhere and the only person in the neighborhood is Nathalie's old friend and neighbor Lance, who joins them. When George and Lance go on a fishing trip, Nathalie's former lover turns up. He has a couple of drinks and then falls asleep in Nathalies bed ... naked. When George and Lance suddenly come back home, Nathalie panics. She tries to wake Lance up, but he's dead and the only idea she can come up with is hiding his body under the floor board, where he will soon be discovered...

Despite or perhaps thanks to the small cast, you'll see some fine acting. Harvey Keitel is a good actor and he does a nice job playing the judge who goes crazy. Cameron Diaz is also enjoyable as Nathalie, the woman with more troubles around her head than she can cope with. In fact, all actors did a good and convincing job portraying their characters, but it wasn't enough to make this movie a masterpiece. What bothered me most was the fact that it all started to go too far. All the characters had to die in such an unbelievable and over-the-top way, that it spoiled a lot of my fun. Nevertheless I must admit that I enjoyed big parts of the movie and that's why I still give it a 7/10. It's not the best example of a dark comedy, but I've seen worse.

Quick note for the norwegian readers. The film "Head above water is a remake of Mikkel Gaups' "Hodet over vannet". The original is much better. Also, don't leave the theatre at once, wait until after the credits :)

The great thing about this film is that once the usual character-building stuff is out of the way, you will not move an inch and your eyes will only move if you have a widescreen television...

Sterling performances from both Harvey Keitell and Cameron Diaz really make this film come alive and as incident after incident fall upon the hapless couple, you feel yourself gripping the chair more and more, your nails getting smaller and smaller, and the enjoyment increasing and increasing.

All in all, Head Above Water is a great film, with good (if not at times, erratic) directing, and with superb acting.