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Walking on Water

Name: Walking on Water
Director: Tony Ayres
Released: 2002
Duration: 90 min

Representation Score

7.4/10

Good

2002

Not Rated

Director

Tony Ayres

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Walking on Water is a sophisticated character study that disrupts conventional social and moral expectations. It avoids mainstream commercial clichés, opting for an intimate exploration of grief and interpersonal connections. The film's strength lies in its commitment to moral relativism and the deconstruction of traditional hierarchies. By centering the ability to act of the dying, it challenges standard Western institutional frameworks regarding death and the family unit. While the film lacks high-profile markers of diversity across the racial and LGBTQ+ spectrums, its nuanced approach to gendered grief and cultural identity provides a meaningful cinematic experience. It succeeds by prioritizing complex human landscapes over broad, easy narratives.

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Category Breakdown

Does Walking on Water have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film explores the deep companionship between Anna and Charlie without relying on typical LGBTQ+ clichés. Instead, it focuses on non-traditional emotional connections.

How does Walking on Water portray gender?

Fair

Anna's strong role and emotional labor drive the narrative. The film presents a vulnerable landscape rather than a traditional male leader, challenging conventional masculinity.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Walking on Water?

Fair

This Australian drama uses specific Jewish cultural elements to ground the story, moving away from typical Anglo-centric Western settings.

How does Walking on Water represent religion and culture?

Good

The film challenges institutional views on the sanctity of life by focusing on assisted suicide. It emphasizes personal autonomy and situational ethics over rigid moral rules.

Does Walking on Water include disability representation?

Good

The film treats terminal illness as a central driver of the story rather than a sentimental plot device. It focuses on the experiences of patients and caregivers.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional religious and institutional views on the sanctity of life through its focus on assisted suicide.
Provides a nuanced view of gender by centering women's ability to drive the story and deconstructing traditional provider roles.
Avoids sentimentalizing terminal illness, treating the dying process as a central driver of character development.

Limited or Absent

Lacks high-visibility markers of diversity across the racial and LGBTQ+ spectrums.
The exploration of non-traditional emotional structures remains somewhat subtle rather than explicit.

Official Synopsis

Friends and family gather around the death bed of Gavin, where they assist in the dying man's suicide. But though Gavin's pain has been laid to rest, the grief felt by everyone there has only begun, and Walking on Water compassionately follows the attempts of Gavin's closest friends Anna and Charlie to recover from their loss.

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