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Watermarks Reviews
Surprisingly complex and moving, Yaron Silberman's vibrantly nostalgic documentary succeeds because it is about more than its surface subjects, young Jewish women who were champion swimmers in the 1930s whose lives were interrupted by the war.
| Nov 18, 2005
The film's real power comes from the women's personalities.
| Jun 17, 2005
That the film is watchable is largely due to the women, any of whom could have been the subject of a better, considerably more focused film.
| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jun 17, 2005
It is a treat to encounter the fierce, brave, learned women of Watermarks.
| Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 3, 2005
Zilberman's storytelling is a little jumpy, but his documentary is a fitting tribute to seven women whose strength of mind and character, as much as their physical prowess, was developed by the organization that ensured their survival.
| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jun 3, 2005
Modest, moving and intelligently assembled.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 3, 2005
His film, both reverent and affectionate, has at its heart a story that richly deserves the telling.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 29, 2005
What a delightful group they are -- sharp, witty, chic survivors who forged new lives and successful careers in new countries.
| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 1, 2005
Not especially lively filmmaking, but Zilberman has unearthed some terrific footage of the club in its heyday.
Full Review | Mar 31, 2005
The film's denouement is one of triumphant symbolism as the women return to Vienna for a swim in their former pool. There are no medals given for this reunion, but it's definitely one that deserves a cheer.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 3, 2005
A touching film, providing a glimpse into yet another hidden story about the history of European Jews before the arrival of the Nazis.
| Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 25, 2005
One of the most amazing aspects of this film is how many of the octogenarian-plus swimmers have survived after first fleeing post-Anschluss Austria for the four corners of the world.
| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Feb 18, 2005
It seems that some stories, especially those that study human nature, are universal.
| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Feb 18, 2005
The images of them swimming together after all those years are beautiful and a little holy: They look like angels in the water.
| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Feb 18, 2005
Not a great movie, but contains fascinating historical material.
| Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 3, 2005
This account of the pre-Nazi glory and subsequent harrowing fate of the Austrian Jewish sports club Hakoah makes for a necessary corrective to Leni Riefenstahl's grudgingly admired Olympic myth-mongering.
| Jan 25, 2005
Hugely entertaining and wonderfully warm documentary.
Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jan 21, 2005
A moving, poignant tale about triumph in the face of the unthinkable.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 21, 2005
As documentaries go, Watermarks is nothing special. But the women who inhabit it are sensational.
Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 21, 2005