Waterland

1992 1h 35m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 40

DramaMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The story of a mentally anguished high school history teacher going through a complete reassessment of his life. His method for reassessing his life is to narrate it to his class and interweave in it three generations of his family's history.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Jeremy Irons
Tom Crick
Sinéad Cusack
Mary Crick
Grant Warnock
Young Tom
Lena Headey
Young Mary
Callum Dixon
Freddie Parr
Ethan Hawke
Matthew Price
Pete Postlethwaite
Henry Crick
Sean Maguire
Peter

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Stephen Gyllenhaal
Writers: Peter Prince
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 11% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

34 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal, shot by Robert Elswit. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lesley Walker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jeremy Irons and Sinéad Cusack and Grant Warnock carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0105790 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 40 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Stephen Gyllenhaal directs. Robert Elswit behind the camera. Carter Burwell scores. Lesley Walker cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 11% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
234 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal, shot by Robert Elswit. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Lesley Walker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jeremy Irons and Sinéad Cusack and Grant Warnock carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0105790 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 40 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "based on novel or book", "1970s", "family history", "teacher".