Dark Water received a lukewarm reaction from the public for good reason. While there’s plenty of spooky atmosphere, it disappoints in the hair-raising suspense department as well as the surprise factor. Despite this, I enjoyed the movie for what it had to offer. I especially liked where they chose the setting, in a seedy apartment near New York City.

Jennifer Connelly did a great job of portraying Dahlia Williams, a newly divorced mother with a lot of emotional baggage. Dahlia and her daughter, Ceci, move into a cramped rundown apartment on Roosevelt Island to start a new life. Dahlia’s soon-to-be-ex is not making life easy for her. She’s taking prescription pills for her migraines, but the constant flashbacks of scenes with her alcoholic mother haunt her to the point where we wonder if she isn’t losing her mind.

Mysterious noises and leaks come from the upstairs apartment, which she discovers was abandoned by its tenants. If that weren’t enough, Ceci begins to talk to an imaginary friend named Natasha. This friend sends Dahlia on a mission to find out if her estranged husband is playing mind games.

The movie ends on a satisfactory, if not sad, note.