davisonhorst Two excellent actors, Josh Lucas and James Cromwell, headline this deeply moving and interesting movie. It's a simple story of overwhelming guilt and grief. An intelligent executive who is reduced to a helpless shell of his former self through an extreme tragedy. It seems he has come to this semi isolated place in upper Michigan to blank out horrific memories and in the process even contemplates suicide more than once. Beautiful Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer, the waitress, feels his pain from afar but seemingly does not want to interfere and just watches during most of the movie.Being a hopeless romantic I am puzzled by two aspects of this movie. The first is the blond employee at the supermarket, Helen (Anne Faba). Having seen him at the supermarket a few times and apparently noticing how messed up he is, she comes to visit him one night and stays on the boat with him but sleeps in a separate compartment. She seems to have been abused and he comforts her. Nothing is ever explored with her beyond that instance. The second is when the waitress finally ventures down to his boat and climbs in bed with him to comfort him and to make love. Again, nothing is explored beyond that one time and for the rest of the movie they both seem as strangers to one another. He eventually sells the boat and returns to the big city (I'm thinking Chicago) where he worked and lived. He does not even say goodbye to anyone when he leaves.I would recommend this movie to people who are deep in their understanding of life and how we are each only one step away from tragedy every day in our lives. Although the dialog is limited the movie does move along going from one scene to another and one season to another rather quickly. I got cold just watching the fall turn into winter in upper Michigan.

dietmar petutschnig This movie - is a fascinating & haunting personal growth story - but to understand it helps if you live on a boat / are on aboard one / own a boat.Many aspects in this story would be lost on apartment or house dwellers (as well they should).A true portrait of life on an older vessel in adverse conditions - cold & condensation is are just some of them.My personal favorite - the scene with the head !These parallels of repairing ones vessel back to live from total neglect is no simply task. Repairing & restoring - while suffering through it - is so contrary to the rapid throw away and sink'em style of other stories or lifestyles..This movies sticks with you and evolves - if you give it the time it needs to fill your sails with air to propel you forward - caution this is NOT a mega cruise and there is no fresh shrimp at the buffet on the lido deck !

Perry Bee I have always taken a liking to Josh Lucas as an actor, simple but an very effective actor, and he did this role justice. He relays all those feelings of loss and sorrow in a very convincing way, sure as per other review on here, being hurt, having lost loved one's along the way does make you feel more part of the simple but very effective storyline.Myself having had to deal twice with the loss of a long term relationship, found some real comfort in the pain of this film, it made me realize the whole madness of sadness I had suffered from for years, but it reminded me as well how far I had come the last few years, but I am sure even if you had a happy run in life, you will find this a good solid drama and at times it will even send that chill down your spine, like it did with me a few times.Sure it is not that hard to see where it goes with the storyline, but with Josh at his best, a great supporting cast, some real nice scenery, great music score, makes this film well worth watching. It's good to see a film that makes me want to feel life again.A very very solid 8 out of 10

R Smith A man arrives at a dock, in suit & tie and carrying his suitcase, buys a boat as-is, he seems haunted but we don't yet know why. If you've ever experienced deep grief or a need to hideaway and heal, this film will have a deeper meaning for you, if you've not yet experienced those tortured emotions in life you may not yet understand fully the emotional depths this film represents. I've been there, I am there, and felt the film all the more meaningful for my own experiences. The waterside setting is magical and the story plays against the backdrop of its setting (Traverse City, Michigan) and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, The Children's Hour, which given Longfellow's own sad history gives the film even deeper resonance. The typical Hollywood films you'll barely remember a month later but Hide Away will have a lasting impact and this, this, is the film you want to see this Summer. Best work I've seen from Josh Lucas and James Cromwell is, even more than usual, so very memorable as The Ancient Mariner. I'd originally rated this film an 8 but, after viewing it a second time, I changed my review to a 10. Now I'm left wondering what my own boat is...