Swept from the Sea, 14 Feb 2003

Rachel Weisz uses her open and beautiful face to marvelous effect, conveying the accumulated hurt and resolve of a girl who has lived her entire life deprived of love. Her father resents her for the marriage her arrival into the world forced him into and her mother witholds her love because of a much deeper shame Amy is unaware of. Amy counters their unkindness with a silence that seems strange to those around her and casts her heart upon the sea, waiting for it to be reborn.

When the sole survivor of a shipwreck washes ashore and is treated in the same manner as Amy because he is Russian and can not communicate with those around him their hearts connect instantly, a deeply moving yet simple act of human kindness when she washes his feet and offers him bread never to be forgotten, setting the tone for the entire film. Vincent Perez gives a perfect performance as the Russia stranger who is lost and helpless in a foreign land. It is as if the sea Amy so dearly loves has felt her hurt and brought her love.

Ian McKellan and Kathy Bates lend depth to this tender and tragic tale revolving around the sea. It will leave you with the feeling you get upon finishing a classic book, knowing it will linger long afterward in your heart and mind. This is a deeply romantic film, spare and beautiful, laced with tenderness and love.

Do not, under any circumstances, miss this fine film....

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