The Unseen Movie Review

Open Water

The sea is one of those forces of nature that cannot fail to put mankind back in its place. Out in the middle of the ocean, with the horizon all around and nothing but the undulating swell to break the monotony, the insignificance of one individual becomes all too apparent.

Now imagine being in the middle of the ocean without a boat, and with no prospect of one coming. Now chuck in a few sharks.

This is the premise of this low-budget, minimalist thriller. Much like the Blair Witch Project, to which it has been likened by some, the reasons for the central characters’ fear are rarely spelled out, although their terror is often as real as it can get – the actors filmed most of their scenes floating miles offshore with genuine wild sharks. No fancy special effects here, plus – as you may have guessed – it is based on a true story.

There is very little action here, just two people facing the slow battering of loneliness, terror, despair and exhaustion. If you don’t buy in to the central premise it would be easy to sink into abject boredom. That is part of the point. How much do you really think there is to do when you’re floating miles offshore without a boat, or even anything to hold on to? The lack of action is intended to serve to heighten the inherent psychological impact of the situation. This intention succeeds or fails entirely depending on the individual viewer’s willingness to submerse themselves in the situation, and to think how they would react if this happened to them.

But the real chiller here is not the vast expanse of empty water, nor the sharks, nor the encroaching starvation, hypothermia and hysteria; it is the idea that any of us might be forgotten. The couple at the heart of the film, Susan and Daniel (relative newcomers Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis), are just like any other normal boyfriend and girlfriend having an exotic holiday. But they are utterly forgotten. It is this feeling that we might somehow be so insignificant to other people, not just to the vast power of the sea, that is the real terror at the heart of the film.

Unfortunately, this is not made quite clear enough. Director Chris Kentis is hardly overly experienced. He is superb at building up a sense of isolation and hopelessness, but unfortunately not at maintaining interest. It’s all very well making a film in which part of the point is that not a lot happens, but most filmgoers are used to getting at least a bit of action for their buck. The occasional shark fin breaking the surface is hardly enough to compete with the frenzied punch ups and effects of the likes of Hellboy.

But then, it is unlikely that this will appeal to that sort of audience. If you want explosions and fights, look elsewhere. If, for some sadomasochistic reason, you want to spend eighty minutes facing up to some unpleasant emotions and primal fears, this could well be the film for you.

posted by Nosemonkey @ 12:00 AM