"Blackwater Park"

Author(s): Tony
Location: Pittsburgh

"Blackwater Park"

Directed by David Fincher
Written by Alejandro Amenábar
Produced by Marshall Herskovitz
Cinematography by Roger Deakins
Score by John Cale
Editing by Alex Rodríguez

Main Cast

Clive Owen as Daniel Etim
Robin Wright Penn as Holly Etim
Julian McMahon as Samuel Hallman
Debra Messing as Melinda Hallman
Ryan Kelly as Joey Hallman
Jeremy Renner as vick
Chris O'Neil as Young Daniel Etim

Tagline: "The poison of the park will run through his veins forever"

Synopsis: The flickering lights coming from the ceiling of cell #21 caused Daniel Etim an emotional distress as he would be sentenced to death in a matter of minutes, but Daniel was far beyond death at this point. The constant memories of the park, the fear and yet severe addiction makes his veins bulge and his fingers twitch when at that moment he remembered when it all began.

At a young age Daniel was a walking illness, a sickly individual, sleepwalker as well. Near his country side home was a dark and mysterious area that the locals called Blackwater Park. Some said you could see ruby eyes through the constant fog that surrounds it. It was the night that Daniel unwillingly ventured into the park that changed his mental state forever. Daniel woke up freezing from his breath as his body forced him to travel to the park. Once Daniel got his composure it was too late where it was only 20 yards from him he could see a shadowy figure with a shovel, a coffin like box, and a tied up woman next to him. Shocked to stillness, Daniel witnessed this man bury the young woman alive. The man vanished into the darkness while a frightened Daniel would run quickly back home. The day later Daniel pondered if what he saw was real or not, was a woman buried? Is a killer on the loose? Is the woman still alive? A frightened boy could never be brave enough to find out.

Now, years later a distraught Daniel lives with the same questions he never answered. His solutions to his mental illness include being a masochist and working as a file clerk at a hospital where he can see death all around him. His peers include an imprudent doctor (McMahon), a jaw flapping co-worker (Renner), and an insecure housewife (Penn). He lived in the same house as a child, and the park still remained. His countless nocturnal hours made visions in his haunted sleep about the park. The woman could still be buried there, he always thought. To the day Daniel never went back until his sanity finally reached an end. He knew his life was amounting to nothing and the only thing left was the park. Now Daniel is perilous and has a destiny, and it began with the kidnapping of Vick. He bounded the defenseless man and strolled into the park for the first time since and buried him alive in a wooden crate in the park, this action was the only time Daniel felt fearless, outside the park he was broken down. Next was the Hallman family. After an unsudden firing from Dr. Hallman, Daniel would decide to kidnap the Hallman family where he made Samuel witness the burying of his wife (Messing) and son (Kelly) alive. He followed by drowning Sam in the flowing black stream in the park. Daniel continued to be mortal outside the park, weeping about his evil doings, but at the same time he craved to do it again. His final doing was his wife, her fingernails bled from the struggle as Daniels halo of death hung above him, but she managed to escape from the fight of her life. Only one thing was left to do for Daniel, find the woman. Daniel went to the spot and nothing was found. Now turned in by Holly, Daniel confessed to everything, but was soon tormented and cursed by the police telling him they found more graves, ones he didn't take credit for. Daniel will never know what officially happened, but the sun sets forever over Blackwater Park.

What the Press would say:

David Finchers latest haunting thriller entitled "Blackwater Park" is a gothic, shocking, suspenseful, and disturbing piece of film that burrows deep under your skin and sores. Its quality puts it far beyond most of the "psychotic deranged killer" films today. What is it is art captured on film. The films mood is already set right from the beginning on, chilling, intense, and mysterious. Finchers sets are once again outstanding. His visual of the park itself is cold and dark without falling into some obvious cliches, it's not something you'd see out of an episode of "Goosebumps". The effect it makes is astounding and truly works. As far as his vision for his characters, well, as we've seen from Nicholas Van Orton, William Somerset, and the Narrator, Fincher has created a character that we can't take our eyes off of, a character full of negative emotions but deep down isn't as gritty as he may seem. Playing the "character" in this film is Clive Owen. Owen takes this role further than any other of Finchers leads, a good soul that is traumatized forever leading him to killing and death being his only reliever, thus making him more sorrowful, an uncontrollable force caused by the park. Owens masochistic scenes are at times rigid to watch but it only inhances the mood of the film, and Owens character in general. Supporting Daniel Etim is his wife, Holly, played by Robin Wright Penn. A very suited role for Penn, the down on herself housewife who feels she's letting her deeply agitated husband down which ultimately has her estranged more and more throughout the film, a performance that shouldn't be ignored. In conclusion, the ending of "Blackwater Park" may throw some viewers off, but in a good sense of being poetic. The numerous corpses found in the park can be an indication of many things, and it's our job as the viewers to contemplate what happened. Opinions differ, some say that the things Daniel saw at the beginning and end of the movie were only things he wanted to see. Were there more killings of this unusual torture method when Daniel was a child, or was it Daniel all along? What really happened in Blackwater Park? Don't miss out people, this film is as atmospheric and painfully compelling than any film you'll see this year.

FYC:

Best Picture - David Fincher, Alejandro Amenábar, and Marshall Herskovitz
Best Director - David Fincher
Best Actor - Clive Owen
Best Supporting Actress - Robin Wright Penn
Best Original Screenplay - Alejandro Amenábar
Best Cinematography - Roger Deakins
Best Original Score - John Cale
Best Editing - Alex Rodríguez
Best Art Direction