Rotten
A fascinating work that never quite coalesces, Tuvalu finally becomes oppressively repetitive.
Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune
Tuvalu
1999 · 1h 32m · Not Rated
Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction
Directed by
Veit Helmer
Free account saves your watchlist and ratings.
Tuvalu
Overview
Set in a dilapidated indoor swimming pool (the Central Baths in Sofia), the film details the efforts of Anton, a clueless dreamer who yearns to sail the world, and Martha, the button obsessed cashier, to maintain the illusion for Anton's blind father that business is thriving. Working to sabotage their efforts is Gregor - Anton's brother - an amoral developer who is determined to raze the entire town and construct a sprawling condominium complex. Gregor engineers an accident that seems certain to doom the business and in the process steals away Eva, the beautiful woman of Anton's dreams. Will Gregor's dastardly plan succeed?
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
73%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Tuvalu is astounding. It is also bizarre, challenging, and, at times, admirably overreaching.
Janice Page, Boston Globe
Fresh
This one-of-a kind charmer casts an immediate and delightful spell.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Rotten
A disappointment, a precious and grotesque exercise reminiscent of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Delicatessen, only less amusing.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Fresh
Still in the mood for something offbeat and phantasmagoric? Check out this charming German import by Veit Helmer.
Glenn Lovell, San Jose Mercury News
More films
Date with an Angel (1987)
Comedy · Fantasy · Romance · Science Fiction · PG
Aspiring composer Jim Sanders is engaged to spoiled rich girl Patty. But the morning after his bachelor party, Jim wakes up to discover a beautiful, broken-winged angel in his pool. When everyone finds out about his heavenly houseguest, Jim must cope with a dangerously jealous fiancée, an exploitive future father-in-law and a group of ...
- Runtime
- 1h 45m
- Director
- Tom McLoughlin
- Cast
- Michael E. Knight, Phoebe Cates, Emmanuelle Béart
IMDb
5.6
Rotten Tomatoes
13%
The Willoughbys (2020)
Adventure · Animation · Comedy · Family · Fantasy · PG
When the four Willoughby children are abandoned by their selfish parents, they must learn how to adapt their Old-Fashioned values to the contemporary world in order to create something new: The Modern Family.
- Runtime
- 1h 32m
- Director
- Kris Pearn
- Cast
- Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Alessia Cara
IMDb
6.4
Rotten Tomatoes
92%
Metacritic
68
Slumberland (2022)
Adventure · Comedy · Family · Fantasy · PG
A young girl discovers a secret map to the dreamworld of Slumberland, and with the help of an eccentric outlaw, she traverses dreams and flees nightmares, with the hope that she will be able to see her late father again.
- Runtime
- 1h 57m
- Director
- Francis Lawrence
- Cast
- Marlow Barkley, Jason Momoa, Chris O'Dowd
IMDb
6.7
Rotten Tomatoes
42%
Metacritic
40
Chéri (2009)
Comedy · Drama · Romance · R
The son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love.
- Runtime
- 1h 26m
- Director
- Stephen Frears
- Cast
- Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates, Rupert Friend
IMDb
6.2
Rotten Tomatoes
50%
Metacritic
63
Made in Heaven (1987)
Comedy · Drama · Fantasy · Romance · PG
Deceased drifter Mike arrives in Heaven and quickly falls for newborn soul Annie, soon to start her assignment on Earth. When Annie leaves, Mike follows. They spend the next three decades drifting back together.
- Runtime
- 1h 43m
- Director
- Alan Rudolph
- Cast
- Timothy Hutton, Kelly McGillis, Maureen Stapleton
IMDb
6.3
Rotten Tomatoes
56%
School of Magical Animals 4 (2025)
Family · Fantasy · N/A
Ida's friend Miriam visits the school for three months, but a secret threatens to tear them apart. Miriam is entrusted with the tarsier Fitzgeraldo, while Max, deeply in love, is given the owl Muriel. Meanwhile, the sale of the school is imminent, and the future of the magical community is in peril.
- Runtime
- 1h 42m
- Director
- Bernhard Jasper, Maggie Peren
- Cast
- Emilia Maier, Loris Sichrovsky, Marleen Lohse
IMDb
5.7
Color of the Ocean (2012)
Drama · N/A
After years working as a border patrolman, José has developed a salty crust of cynicism about his work, which places him in a position to decide the fates of many. José's weary attitude is put to the test when he encounters Nathalie, a German tourist assisting a boatload of refugees she discovered landing on the Canary shores. One of t...
- Runtime
- 1h 35m
- Director
- Maggie Peren
- Cast
- Álex González, Hubert Koundé, Nathalie Poza
IMDb
6.6
Die hellen Tage
Die hellen Tage (2027)
Comedy · Drama · N/A
- Director
- Maggie Peren
- Cast
- Karoline Herfurth, Julia Jentsch, Emilia Maier
Comments
Talk about the film with other members