"Dark Water" -- hero's goal?

[Randall_Oelerich]

I could use some help deciphering the hero's goal, obstacles, in a story. In the film Dark Water Jennifer Connelly's character Dahlia seeks to provide a safe environment for her and her five year old daughter Ceci but is only able to locate and afford a poor apartment in a horribly dank tenement apartment building. Dahlia also deals with a pending divorce, custody issues, and most importantly the spirit of a child ghost in the apartment that wants Dahlia for her mother.

What would you say is Dahlia's outer visible goal that is achieved by the end of the story? Is it to become good mother to her little girl Ceci-- by securing a home for them, making it a home, obtaining custody? Which would fit with the (ghost child) antagonist's goal for the same thing in a sense, to have Dahlia become a good mother for her, not for Ceci? Dahlia thus wants to become a good mother to Ceci by securing a home environment for them-- but the ghost child brings about opposition to this by the haunting so as to be found and loved, and ultimately by the death of Dahlia as the ghost child wants Dahlia as a mother?

That makes this a tragic story then, right, because the hero Dahlia never achieves her goal, in this case the ghost child antagonist wins the battle?

 

[wcmartell]

Her goal is to not be in the #137 worst opening box office for a movie since the year 1982? (according to Box Office Mojo stats)

I would have to see DARK WATER again to answer the question, and my undying lust for Jennifer Connelly doesn't go that far. The point of this stuff, though, is to write a script that connects with the audience - and DARK WATER did not connect with the audience. It kinda killed the whole J-horror remake thing. So there's a good chance you can *not* find these elements in the movie, because they are not there, and that is why the movie is 137 on that worst list at Box Office Mojo.

- Bill

 

[Noel Evans]

That makes this a tragic story then, right, because the hero Dahlia never achieves her goal, in this case the ghost child antagonist wins the battle?

Well this was one poorly transformed movie that captured non of the essence of the original Japanese production. Jennifer Connelly, beautiful yes, but didnt help.

To your question above. The Mothers number one aim in this movie is to care for and protect her daughter. The barrier to this is physical (ex husband who she had rough divorce with), money situation, and metaphysical (ghost girl) that makes the physical barrier much higher as her husband gains ammo against her.

As to the end, somewhat tragic, but as ghostie was drowning her daughter, she was left with no other way to protect her daughter so she did like a parent would.

 

[Randall_Oelerich]

I actually like the film, I have seen it about 3x I think, I have a poster of it in my home =) ; but looking at member reviews on blockbuster i can see how it did not fare so well at the box office-- seems to be a bimodal pattern in the reviews, viz viewers mostly seemed to either really like it or not like it. Could be an age-related thing, with the B story divorce plot. Or maybe those looking for more classic plot/char structure did not find it, and thus felt cheated. So maybe there is a lesson to be learned, that box office appeal requires a well structured story with a classic hero's visible goal with opposition, char arc, etc. Maybe that is why I find it hard to find the classic story structure in this story--because it is not there? I do see a hero's goal, hero's sacrifice most definitely, conflict, but other necessary story elements seem to be weak.

Her goal is to not be in the #137 worst opening box office for a movie since the year 1982? (according to Box Office Mojo stats)

I would have to see DARK WATER again to answer the question, and my undying lust for Jennifer Connelly doesn't go that far. The point of this stuff, though, is to write a script that connects with the audience - and DARK WATER did not connect with the audience. It kinda killed the whole J-horror remake thing. So there's a good chance you can *not* find these elements in the movie, because they are not there, and that is why the movie is 137 on that worst list at Box Office Mojo.

- Bill

 

[raymondluo]

A mother's love for her child and the extent of which she would go to protect her. I watched the original like, four/ five years ago? It was great, I didn't watch the American remake though cos i know how remakes are like.

But I remember in the ending when the daughter(grown up) revisited the old house and she saw? the spirit of her mum (and the other girl ghost). I don't quite recall.