Hauntingly beautiful, a movie achingly alive with love, longing, beauty, and sadness. A movie that features perhaps the most romantic scene I have ever felt, between a young man and a young woman.

I do so find it amusing to read reviews of this film which claim that "nothing happens" or describe it as being "slow". Definitely this film aims at avoiding linear narrative. I would say it is closer in spirit to the Wong Kar Wai films where mood is as much part of the story as are the silences which are loaded with more internal conflicts and reconsiderations and resolutions than all the dialogue in the world. Brilliant acting by Mr. Pearce and Ms. Bonham Carter.

This movie is sometimes billed as a love story. It isn't. It's a story of sorrow and loss.

The R rating is a joke. Canada gave it a PG, which is accurate. The one-second nipple shot of Helena hardly merits an R even with up-tight American audiences.

One thing that annoyed me was that the young boy's lips were redder than the young girls (and she was supposed to be wearing lipstick). Also, hers were normal. His looked filled with silicone.

The movie is structured as a mystery, which is a good move for a film in which nothing happens. A mystery keeps it going. However, the screenwriter should have learned the basics of mystery writing (which he probably never did because he was interested in "art" movies). So, Mystery Writing 101: The mystery should deepen throughout with additional clues. There should be many red-herring clues to throw the audience off. None of this was done here. There is one puzzle: Whot hoppened? This puzzle is answered at the end. Many viewers will have guessed it early on anyway (and one helpful amazon reviewer below gives the mystery away).

Bottom line: the movie does not offer the viewer very much. There is Helena, of course, and there are some touching moments (hence, the three stars), but they are few.

I must admit that my sole interest in seeing this film was one of sheer curiosity, it having been written and produced by my mother's cousin, Michael Petroni. I really didn't know what to expect and purposely didn't read any reviews or opinions beforehand in order to form as unbiased an opinion as possible and had no intention of sharing my opinion with the public, once made. That changed, however, before the final credits rolled.
This film was so beautifully executed in every way, so deeply intense and so profoundly thought provoking that I was spell-bound throughout its entirety. It was everything I look for in a good, quality motion picture. I completely concur with all of the opinions expressed here. While this film may not be for everyone, it is definitely for anyone who has good taste in fine art.

As other reviewers have said, this film is not for those who like their movies full of action. It moves at a slow pace, which makes it even more beautiful and intriguing. The acting is first rate, especially Helena Bonham-Carter (i'm a fan of hers since "Fight Club"), and Guy Pierce does a quite convincing job as the psychically troubled psychologist whose girlfriend from adolescence drowned while they were bathing in the river. The photography is very well done, and there are lots of scenes of spellbinding beauty. I recommend this film to those looking for something more interesting and thought provoking than the usual Hollywood flick.