F-0232

Title:

The Well

Category:

S

Produced:

1997

Country:

Australia

Released:

Film: Jul 1998 (USA)
DVD: Sep 2001
VHS: Apr 2002

Director:

Samantha Lang

Writer:

Elizabeth Jolley (novel); Laura Jones

Actors:

Pamela Rabe (Hester); Miranda Otto (Katherine); Paul Chubb (Harry Bird); Frank Wilson (Francis Harper); Steve Jacobs (Rod Bordern); Geneviève Lemon (Jen Bordern); Simon Lyndon (Abel); Kati Edwards (Molly); Luke Harrison (Bordern Child); Daniel Harrison (Bordern Child); Jennifer Kent (Marg Trinder); Stephen Rae (Murray Trinder); Miles Shanahan (Bordern Child)

Description:

Young Katherine and her older friend Hester live at the isolated farm run by Hester and her father Francis. Katherine works as a maid and wants to leave that place because there's too much work. Hester, however, gets attracted to Katherine and hold her there, promising to give her less work in the future. When old Francis dies, Hester decides to sell the farm for cash. They move to small cottage on the edge of the farm and plan to go to Europe for the money they got. But tragic accident and theft of their money change their plans. (Anonymous & Amazon.com)

Creepiness abounds in this beautifully shot, well-acted Aussie suspense flick. The Well is especially satisfying because it takes its time, carefully setting up the characters before getting to the meat of the plot. Stiff, quiet Hester, edging into middle age, lives alone on an isolated farm with her father. When Hester brings young, pretty Katherine to the farm to help with the housework, her life begins to change, subtly revolving more and more around her young maid. To reveal any more would deprive the viewer of watching the quietly chilling plot unfold. Director Samantha Long shoots the movie skillfully and patiently. Her best device is the use of a blue-gray filter, with sudden bright flashes of red and yellow around Katherine. The cast is uniformly good, but special kudos goes to Pamela Rabe, who reveals the passion hiding just beneath Hester's surface. (Ali Davis, Amazon.com)

Language:

English

TT:

101 min (Film) / min 102 (DVD) / 98 min (VHS) / 97 min (DVD - PAL)

J.S. Bach's Music:

Concerto for harpsichord, strings & continuo No. 5 in F minor, BWV 1056
Hae-Won Chang

Format:

Film: Color, Dolby
DVD: (Color, NTSC, Region 1) | (PAL , All Regions)
VHS: (Color, NTSC)

Company:

Film: New South Wales Film & Television Office; Southern Star Xanadu
DVD: Fox Lorber; Siren Visual
VHS: Fox Lorber

Comments:

Watch selections:

Buy movie at:

DVD: Amazon.com | Amazon.com [PAL, All Regions]]
VHS: Amazon.com

Source/Links: IMDB
Contributor: Aryeh Oron (November 2007)