The Sea

ByMay 16, 2003 7:00 AMTags
It's good to be the king! Unless you're King Lear. This heavy Icelandic import borrows heavily from the Shakespearean tragedy in its present-day tale of aging patriarch Gunnar Eyjólfsson, head of a fish processing plant in a remote village. In the midst of refusing to sell out to big corporations, Eyjólfsson summons his three children to him, in order to finally put their affairs in order.
Things get ugly when the scheming kids (who all have major issues with the iceberg they call Dad) urge the old guy to sell out and retire. To say there are skeletons in this dysfunctional family's closet would be to make a gross understatement. In fact, by the alcohol-drenched, screaming-and-crying climax you may find yourself drowning in The Sea's histrionics. Thankfully, some strong acting and dark comedic touches help keep the film afloat, even as all the emotional baggage threatens to sink it.

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