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Open Water Director: Chris Kentis Rated: R Academy Cinema, Now showing 
If you're a bit nervous about the ocean containing creatures you'd rather not see or know about, or if meeting your maker in the jaws of a shark doesn't appeal to you, this movie will probably make you quite uncomfortable.Based on the true story of an American couple on holiday who are taken out on a dive boat and subsequently left behind in the middle of the ocean (remember that story from Queensland a few years ago?), 'Open Water' is almost documentary in its approach and style. Much of it is shot on high definition video, with the camera bobbing up and down in the ocean with the actors. Indeed the sharks swimming around them are real. The holiday location is never made explicit although it looks perhaps Caribbean - and in a way it is a bit of a relief that the clear opportunity to turn this into another Australian wildlife disaster movie was not taken up. Although the way the couple were not missed for the return journey in the dive boat was perfectly plausible (and, I assume, part the story) it was utterly frustrating to watch the operators completely miss the couples' bags and other gear left on the boat. I was almost compelled to yell out because I knew what was coming and it was bad. Once their abandonment becomes quite apparent, we watch with increasing uneasiness the hours that while away and the stages of hope, panic and resignation that the couple experience. It is not until the following morning that they are missed and a rescue effort made... The performances of both main characters Susan (Blanchard Ryan) and Daniel (Daniel Travis) were very engaging as the stressed out professionals squeezing their holiday into their impossible schedules. The dynamics of their relationship are fascinating as the stress of the situation takes its toll. Maybe if they had gone on holiday when they had originally planned to, none of this would have happened. Or is it the salt water talking? There's not much more one can say about a movie where two people floating in the middle of the ocean is the main action, since I don't wish to give away the ending, but 'Open Water' is compelling viewing and well worth a look on the big screen.  |
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