 Critics felt that Bigelow had not achieved as much weight with the fictional story of the present against her portrayal of the events of the past.Stephen Holden of "The New York Times" said, "There is so much to admire in "The Weight of Water", Kathryn Bigelow's churning screen adaptation of a novel by Anita Shreve, that when the movie finally collapses on itself late in the game, it leaves you in the frustrating position of having to pick up its scattered pieces and assemble them as best you can.