The Waterdance
The Waterdance is a 1992 American drama film directed by Neal Jimenez and Michael Steinberg and starring Eric Stoltz, Wesley Snipes, William Forsythe and Helen Hunt. It was written by Neal Jimenez.
The Waterdance | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Neal Jimenez Michael Steinberg |
Produced by | Marie Cantin (producer) Gale Anne Hurd (producer) Guy Riedel (executive producer) |
Written by | Neal Jimenez |
Starring | |
Music by | Michael Convertino |
Cinematography | Mark Plummer |
Edited by | Jeff Freeman |
Distributed by | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
Release date |
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Running time | 106 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2.7 million[1] |
Box office | $1,723,319 (United States)[2] |
The film is a semi-autobiographical story about a young fiction writer who becomes tetraplegic fully paralyzed in a hiking accident and works to rehabilitate his body and mind at a rehabilitation center. The title refers to a dream recounted by Raymond Hill, Snipes' character, about dancing on the surface of a lake. Since, in Raymond's dream, he must continue dancing on the lake to avoid sinking and drowning, the dream may be a metaphorical reference to the necessity of continually coping with the world.
Plot
Joel Garcia (Eric Stoltz) is a writer who, after a hiking accident at a mountain, must struggle with paralysis. At the same time, he carries a relationship with Anna (Helen Hunt), a married woman, with whom he was having an affair at the time of the accident. The lovers attempt to carry on their affair during his emotional and difficult rehabilitation as a paraplegic.
Cast
- Eric Stoltz as Joel Garcia
- Wesley Snipes as Raymond Hill
- William Forsythe as Bloss
- Helen Hunt as Anna
- Elizabeth Peña as Rosa
- Grace Zabriskie as Pat
Reception
Critical response
The Waterdance received mostly positive reviews from critics; it holds a 94% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes from 16 reviews.
The Waterdance won the Audience Award for Best Dramatic Feature at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.[3]
The Waterdance was nominated for 4 Spirit Awards in 1992 and was the only film to win 2 awards for Best First Feature and Best Screenplay.[4]
References
- http://catalog.afi.com/Film/59429-THE-WATERDANCE
- "The Waterdance (1992)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- "Sundance Film Festival (1992)". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
- "Independent Spirit Awards Lives Up to Its Name : Movies: Irreverent, annual alternative awards program names 'The Player' as best of 1992". Los Angeles Times. 1993-03-29. Retrieved 2020-01-20.