Superb acting marks scary ‘Dark Water’

“Dark Water” is one classy fright flick. It dares to leave things to the viewer’s imagination.

Some may say it leaves too much to the imagination. By design, neither the central character nor the viewer can easily separate reality from fantasy. The film will add to this summer’s growing reputation as a season that polarizes audiences.

But everyone should concur on the movie’s high quality of acting, directing and cinematography. An Americanization of Hideo Nakata’s 2002 Japanese film and Koji Suzuki’s novel, it should placate even the staunchest devotees of the original sources.

Brazilian director Walter Salles, who triumphed last year with “The Motorcycle Diaries,” has a distinctive eye for flavorful atmosphere and environmental touches. The film’s strange goings-on occur in a New York metropolitan area where hard rain constantly pounds the pavement. An overused device, yes (think “The Ring”), but within the context of the film, it works exquisitely.

And Salles has drawn superb work from a prestigious cast. Raven-haired Jennifer Connelly is in virtually every scene, and she poignantly, often wrenchingly registers intense edginess, impassioned maternal love and shaky psychological resolve. It’s a quietly dynamic performance that avoids easy tricks.

Connelly’s character of Dahlia carries a surplus of emotional baggage. Still bearing the scars of childhood abuse, she’s terrified of repeating her parents’ grievous mistakes. She’s also in the midst of a bitter custody battle with her estranged husband. So when she moves with 5-year-old daughter Ceci to a small, singularly unattractive Roosevelt Island apartment, she feels like the walls are caving in.

And that’s just about what they do. Strange things start happening, specifically the flooding of the apartment with black water coming from walls and ceiling. Dahlia also hears eerie whispers, and Ceci begins behaving oddly, taking an imaginary-friend routine to unnerving extremes.

The A-list supporting players, cast against type, give A-list performances. John C. Reilly’s smooth-talking Realtor is far removed from his customary nerd roles, and he relishes the opportunity. Tim Roth, most often cast as villains, plays a compassionate, whimsical lawyer and makes him seem like something other than a sitcom character.

The usually majestic Pete Postlethwaite plays the apartment building’s strange superintendent with gusto, while Camryn Manheim wins points as a concerned, sympathetic schoolteacher. Ariel Gade invests the suddenly enigmatic Ceci with haunting loveliness. Through it all, the mother-daughter bond between Dahlia and Ceci shines.

“Dark Water” will leave some viewers scratching their heads, while others will be wide-eyed with appreciation. This viewer, at least, is reasonably wide-eyed.