David Oyelowo steps behind the camera to make his directorial debut with The Water Man, a magical adventure movie that follows a young boy (Lonnie Chavis) who seeks out the titular “Water Man,” a mythic figure that is said to possess the secret to immortality. Watch The Water Man trailer below.

The Water Man Trailer

RLJE Films has released The Water Man trailer, which starts off like many a horror trailer: whispered stories of a dark, dangerous figure that preys on children, a family that has moved to a strange new town, eerie music. Oh, never mind, it’s actually a Spielberg-inspired adolescent adventure movie in which a young boy armed with a sword ventures into the woods to find a mythical figure to help cure his ailing mom (Rosario Dawson). It’s an abrupt shift, but the latter part is likely closer to the wholesome tone of the movie, which is David Oyelowo’s directorial debut after the actor has won acclaim on the screen in films like Selma, The Butler, and more.

The Water Man made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where /Film reviewer Marshall Shaffer saw it, writing in his mixed-to-positive review, “Oyelowo is not necessarily going to breathe new life into the genre with this sober, earnest take on old-fashioned adventure tropes. But perhaps he’ll meet some viewers who will respond to his clear-eyed message: things might not always turn out okay or the way we want them. We don’t have to retreat into our imaginations, however, to find the help we need. Often times, it’s already there in our homes and lives, waiting to be discovered by means ordinary or extraordinary.”

Oyelowo directs from a screenplay by Emma Needell. The Water Man also stars Oyelowo, Amiah Miller, Alfred Molina, and Maria Bello.

Here is the synopsis for The Water Man:

Gunner (Chavis) sets out on a quest to save his ill mother (Dawson) by searching for a mythic figure who possesses the secret to immortality, the Water Man. After enlisting the help of a mysterious local girl, Jo (Miller), they journey together into the remote Wild Horse forest — but the deeper they venture, the stranger and more dangerous the forest becomes. Their only hope for rescue is Gunner’s father (Oyelowo), who will stop at nothing to find them and in the process will discover who his son really is.

The Water Man opens in theaters on May 7, 2021.

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