Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

– Two very different people become friends and partners in this nautical drama. Nikos (Stephen Rea) is..

Type:
Movie
Rating:
7.20 / 10
Duration:
One Hour and 32 Minutes
Release Year:
1995
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (1995)

Two very different people become friends and partners in this nautical drama. Nikos (Stephen Rea) is a radio man working on a Greek freighter when he finds himself stranded in Hong Kong after the firm that owned his ship suddenly goes out of business. Nikos is already depressed over his recent breakup with his girlfriend, and this latest turn of events hardly makes him feel any better; he develops a dependence on opium as he works a variety of odd jobs trying to keep himself together while waiting for his ship to return to the sea. Li (Ling Chu) is a ten-year-old Chinese girl, cut off from her mother and father, who has a sampan and asks Nikos to help her get the boat ready for the water. Nikos doesn't much care for Li at first, but her youthful optimism and determination to succeed make an impression on him, and in time he leads her on a voyage to find the family she left behind years before.

Producing Country:
Filming Locations:
Genre:
Language:

Dutch, English

Director:

Marion Hänsel

Writer:

Nikos Kavvadias (short story "Li"), Marion Hänsel, Louis Grospierre

Main Actors:

Stephen Rea, Ling Chu, Adrian Brine, Maka Kotto

Plot:

The film tells the story of a strange friendship between an adult, already on the return of his path of life, and a Chinese girl who just begins her path. Nikos is the radio operator of a merchant ship and has just arrived in Hong-Kong. He is tired and wants to forget his problems by smoking opium. Innocence and hope turns to him in the person of Li, a Chinese girl who lives in a Sampan (a houseboat) and has to clean boats and empty trash-cans to survive.

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Ratings:
Internet Movie Database:
7.1/10