The Great Water
Picture This! Entertainment | Release Date: June 17, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
7
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
This unusual Macedonian release is engrossing if not always nimbly directed. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Nicely acted and stylishly photographed. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
An anguished Macedonian drama. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterSheri Linden
Adapting the novel by Zhivko Chingo, director Trajkov and his co-scripter, Vladimir Blazevski, have created a searing memory piece. Suki Medencevic's widescreen cinematography illuminates a shadow realm halfway between heaven and hell. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
Had the orphanage years been the first chapter in a longer story, The Great Water might've stretched toward a finish as unforgettable as its start. Read full review
70
The New York TimesLawrence Van Gelder
What makes the film worth watching are the extraordinary performances by the more than 250 children cast as orphans. Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Despite his reliance on visual cliché, Trajkov mines a rich vein of morbid Slavic comedy, and his young characters have an appetite for adventure that's thoroughly unfake. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
This strange and beautiful Macedonian feature is a welcome reminder that national cinemas still exist. Read full review
60
VarietyRobert Koehler
Extraordinary perfs by a mostly young cast likely will be cancelled out by the grim subject. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Bleak political parable. Read full review
60
Village VoiceLeslie Camhi
Despite the choppy script and cartoonishly bad villains, what emerges is a compelling tale of the moral compromises a corrupt system demands of even its most unwilling participants. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Intent as it is on being both artistically and politically involving, The Great Water periodically miscalculates its effects, coming on stronger than it intends. Read full review
50
Film ThreatPhil Hall
Grim and frequently depressing, and despite the artistry of its framing it nonetheless is a very difficult movie to endure. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Ultimately about the indomitability of faith, and the Christian symbolism is laid on thick. But the story, adapted from a famous behind-the-Iron-Curtain novel, sheds light on a subject few people have known about. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
The Great Water hangs heavy with sepia photography and Christ-like symbolism -- I felt as though I were watching it from the inside of a dank Russian Orthodox church. Read full review
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