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Review: 'Dark Water' a relentless downpourBy Paul Clinton  Jennifer Connelly can't seem to stay dry in "Dark Water." SPECIAL REPORTYOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- "Dark Water" is aptly named. The film is decidedly dark, and there's water everywhere, from rain-drenched skies to broken plumbing. The slowly paced psychological thriller, directed by Walter Salles, is based on a short story by Koji Suzuki (who also wrote "The Ring"). Salles and screenwriter Rafael Yglesias set out to make a film brimming with a sense of isolation and claustrophobia. They succeed to the point where the end product is more depressing than it is thrilling. The movie, which stars Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly, is set on Roosevelt Island in the East River between Manhattan and Queens. The island, with its dilapidated high-rise apartment buildings, depicts urban living as a struggle to survive in an unending nightmare. Salles succeeds in making a dreary version of Roosevelt Island resembling a Soviet-era Gulag. Connelly plays Dahlia Williams, who has moved to the island with daughter Ceci (Ariel Gade) in an attempt to escape from a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband, Kyle (Dougray Scott.) All she can afford is a one-bedroom in a dreary apartment block. The rundown building is managed by Mr. Murray, played expertly by John C. Reilly. This accomplished actor melts into whatever role he is portraying, in this case a somewhat creepy and seedy man trying desperately to keep the crumbling complex in one piece. Also on hand is a sinister janitor, Veeck, captured perfectly by veteran actor Pete Postlethwaite. Despite these unsavory characters, Dahlia moves in, and strange things immediately begin to happen. A moldy stain suddenly appears on the bedroom ceiling; there are eerie noises; and Ceci starts to communicate with an invisible friend. At the same time, the custody battle heats up, and Dahlia is forced to hire a reluctant attorney named Jeff Platzer. The talented Tim Roth has only a few scenes as Platzer, but he packs a punch. It soon becomes clear that the dark and dank apartment above is the main source of the evil that has invaded Dahlia's home. The apartment's occupants -- a young girl named Natasha and her parents -- have mysteriously disappeared, leaving their belongings behind. Water begins to pour in through Dahlia's ceiling, and the sense of doom starts to escalate until the very walls of the small apartment seem to close in on the mother and daughter. Dahlia, who is haunted by memories of her troubled childhood, suddenly has to go to extraordinary lengths to protect her daughter from an unseen evil. Ceci's invisible friend is revealed to be a ghost who suffered a tragic death and is now trying to control the young girl. Despite Dahlia's desperate pleas, Mr. Murray fails to take any action. Veeck lurks menacingly in the background, and Dahlia proceeds to question her sanity. She doesn't know where to turn or whom to trust. Her attorney -- Platzer -- steps in and tries to take control, but the horrifying situations go on nonstop until the film's somewhat startling conclusion. "Dark Water" is infused with a sense of dread that never lets up for even an instant. But there aren't any "jump-out-of-your-seat" scary moments. The depressing, relentless rain never stops, and Connelly is soaking wet most of the time. Salles also brought us last year's critically acclaimed and beautifully photographed "The Motorcycle Diaries," but this horror movie is a complete change of pace for the Brazilian director. This ode to urban solitude and parental abandonment is dreary and ultimately tedious. As the film progressed, I found myself sinking deeper into my seat under the unrelenting sense of dread. All the actors deliver grounded, realistic performances -- given what they had to work with -- and the movie ends with an interesting twist. But the journey there is long and torturous -- not to mention soggy. 
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