Before Dune: Every Denis Villeneuve Movie, Ranked

9. Maelstrom (2000)

You want to know a weird film? Maelstrom. Maelstrom is a weird film. And, the thing is, it didn’t have to be! At its core, it’s a story about a woman (played by Marie-Josee Croze) who has an abortion, and her life goes downhill from there. I don’t want to spoil the big twist in the middle, but the strange thing about this film is that it’s all narrated by a talking fish who’s about to get its head chopped off. Like, what? Why?

That’s a pretty good question. Other than the fish, though, the film is pretty bland. Don’t get me wrong, it’s dark as all hell in the way that only a Villeneuve film can be. Besides that, it’s just not engaging. An okay film, sure, but Villeneuve at his least interesting.