(1997)
3
Buzz McClain
There are many splendid grace notes throughout Flooding that should be applauded. First time director/writer Todd Portugal has cribbed suspenseful scenes from the Hitchcock oeuvre -- the damaged heroine alone in the house, the murder over the telephone, the slowly unraveling conspiracy, heck, even the merry-go-round from Strangers on a Train -- and developed an original story with A-title aspirations. Too bad most of the acting is grade D, save for star Brenna Gibson, a wholesomely beautiful woman who takes her demanding role and shades it perfectly. The cinematography suffers from first-timer hastiness (camera setups are not very confident) and there is ample fudging in the resolution of the story (the ending needs to be bigger) but Flooding is one of those rare low-budget indies that holds up. Should anyone raise the financing to reshoot the script with studio support, Gibson should keep her job.
Flooding on AllMovie
Flooding (1997)
