Saltwater

Not a lot happens. Plot is thin but McPherson spreads it out nicely.

A nicely controlled and very competent debut feature. Manages to get beneath the skin of the script and make us feel for the piece. At times film transcends script and becomes something else entirely. Unfortunately it's all somewhat marred by McPherson taking it as read that viewer will understand more than he's telling us - eg What exactly was relationships between all male characters. Understand 2 were brothers but who exactly was blondie puke boy? Nice cast. Not sure what they were all doing in such a small movie which didn't quite transcend it's smallness.

Ending felt somewhat tacked on.

Adapted from one of his own plays, Conor McPherson masterfully directs the cast in this tale of mischief and morality. The story centers around three male characters and how their brushes with deviant society in the form of rebellion, robbery, and infidelity lead back to the discovery of a higher moral context within life. The situations and dialogue are reminiscent of Kevin Smith's work with ambiguous fates for all three characters. I especially enjoyed the scene where Ray is finally given the opportunity to ask the visiting dignitary philosopher a question which will totally undermine the respected theory and a completely different and unexpected question comes up (trust me, you'll just have to see it). The only drawback to this film is that it was only released in Europe, so if you ever have the chance to see it, do yourself a favor and watch it. It would be a well spent 100 minutes of laughing!!!

I finally saw this film a couple of weeks ago. I had originally wanted to see it on it's release back in 2000, but as luck would have the local cinema didn't bother to get it. They instead opted to get some mainstream thrash that's name I cannot remember. What a pity. I really enjoyed this film from start to finish.

Conor McPherson has proved himself to be one of Ireland's leading modern playwrights with such classics as The Weir and a Dublin Carol. In time to come along with Lance Daly (last days in Dublin)they will prove themselves as two of Ireland's greatest directors knocking Neil Jordan & Jim Sheridan off their artistic position.

The story is a simple one that revolves around a family who run a fish and chip shop in a small Irish town. Their community that surrounds them also plays a vital part in the form of Brendan Gleeson and his nephew. Their is also Conor Mullen's character a philosophy lecturer who is having an affair with one of his students. What follows is one of the most enjoyable Irish films ever to grace our screens.

The script and it's characters is superbly brought to life by a very talented and capable cast whose " Less is more " style of acting makes this film worthwhile. The script does not have a lot going on in it but the acting certainly makes this film in so many ways. There is no over the top performances by any one. The best credit has to go to Laurence Kinlan who steals the show from his more experienced co-stars. Brendan Gleeson does what he usually does and he provides the best performance of all the supporting actors. Also I have to mention the teacher played by Pat Short. He is one of the best portrayals of any any teacher on film or T.V. everything that was said and done brought me back to my school days. Perfect.

I hope to see more films like this one from Conor McPherson. But for those who haven't seen it I urge you all to rent it out or watch it on T.V. because it's one of those classic independents that you'll remember and love

The film had a bit of a slow start to it but gathered a bit more momentum as it progressed. The storyline seemed a bit disjointed at times. That's what was most disappointing about the film, after seeing the storyline slowly develop the film had an abrupt end. On the other hand it is a film that has a lot of extremely funny moments in it especially one scene in particular. This redeemed the film for me. All said and done this film is much better than a lot of big budget Hollywood fare that hits the cinemas. The acting was very good with great performances from all the actors involved. It is well worth a look.

"Saltwater" is the directorial debut of Conor McPherson, the writer of the very funny film, "I Went Down". As such, "Saltwater" promises much but delivers very little. It is a disjointed and ill-conceived attempt to do for Dublin what "Short Cuts" did for Los Angeles. The main stories concern an Irish-Italian café owner in debt to the local bookie and the attempt by one of his two sons to exact revenge for his father's humiliation, the adventures of another son of the above man and his latchkey schoolfriend, and a university lecturer and friend of the above family who embarks on a fling with a college student. There are vague references to a woman who could possibly be the mother of the family who is no longer present but this is never made clear.

The separate plots barely relate to each other and have significant holes which stretch credulity. Furthermore, the story set in the university (University College Dublin, for the benefit of location freaks) seems to exist entirely for the purposes of its 'hilarious' climax. Characters are not well developed and some are almost cardboard cutouts, such as the schoolgoing son, his friend and their teacher, to name but a few. The stories do not develop logically and fail to reach any satisfactory conclusion leaving many loose ends unresolved.

Finally, the film is so blandly photographed as to be a TV film rather than a large screen motion picture. There is no appreciation of the art of cinema at all. McPherson is better known as a writer for theatre and this is patently obvious from "Saltwater". It appears that he has made the transition from stage to screen too quickly for his own good. Overall, I cannot recommend people to go and see this film.