Open Water (2004)
"One of the amazing things about
making movies is that you never know where you may
find yourself next... floating alone on the surface
of the ocean surrounded by a swarm of frenzied sharks,
being at the Sundance film festival, or on a studio
lot, or in some posh Los Angeles conference room...
surrounded by a swarm of frenzied sharks," - Christ
Kentis, who made the film "Open Water" with his wife
Laura Lau, writing in FLM Magazine
Note: Oh, you bet there's some spoilers.
Yes, they call it "Blair Witch of
the Seas" but "Open Water" is nowhere as interesting
or as good as that cruddy film. Filmed in lackluster
video and transferred to grainy 35mm film, the piece
looks awful to the viewer for a long, long time. At
least it was inexpensive to make. (If you want to
see a great and stunningly beautiful film with lots
of underwater photography shot on video, buy the DVD
for "Sex and Lucia.")
The "characters" here, whose story
we are told is "based on true events," are quite boring
and typical. She's a workaholic TV producer who can't
put her cell phone down (as if we haven't seen that
a million times) and he... Well, he's a guy. That's
really all you get here: A bitch and a guy. Expecting
more than that as characters here will leave you swimming
in a pool of wanting.
Walking in, we already know the
story: The two go out scuba diving on a boat, get
left behind, and spend hours in the icy water awaiting
rescue. Yet it takes this film 30 minutes, a third
of its running time, to get the two adrift in the
water. And nothing leading up to this moment is interesting.
He whines. She lays in bed naked. It's all a big yawn.
The hour they spend adrift in the
water is more of the same. She whines. He cries. She
bitches. He bitches. But at least it's a somewhat
interesting experience as far as "setting" is concerned.
For an hour we are adrift on the sea with them. We
know the boredom and the panic of being lost, unsure
of whether or not rescue is coming. I have to admit
that the tension in the film during this hour is quite
taut. The use of sharks in the film here brings an
immediate and frightening sense of unease to the film.
Knowing that the filmmakers used real sharks in shooting
the film also makes for quite an engrossing few minutes
here and there.
And I'll give the film this: It
really does feel as if "You Are There!" during this
part of the film. Here, finally, the video look of
the piece gives it immediacy and the realistic quality
that surely would have required much more art design
if it were done on film.
The end of the film, however, is
its most perfect moment and... far be it from me to
give it away. Anything I say here will ruin it for
someone, but I have to at least say this: the ending
is ballsy and unexpected. The last five minutes of
this film made me like it even more and I changed
my opinion of the film after seeing them. I also liked
the little extra scene that runs in the end credits,
a moment that makes this film even more creepy and
mystifying.
This is a film that would never
get made, especially with this ending, by a studio,
and its nice to see it picked up at Sundance and given
a national run. But you and I both know that unsuspecting
audience members at megaplexes across America are
going to be bored and then pissed when they shell
out eight bucks to see a lot of nothing happening
in "Open Water" - even if the last five minutes are
amazing.
Notes:
With Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis.
The Cast spent over 30 days in the
water filming. Ryan was nipped by a barracuda on the
first day in the water. They wore chain mesh while
in the water to protect them.
Kentis discovered the story of two
divers left by a scuba boat several years ago in a
diving magazine but only considered it for a film
after the advent of digital video.
The film is said to be based on
the story of Tom and Eileen Lonegran who disappeared
off the coast of the Great Barrier Reef in 1998.
The film screened at Sundance in
January 2004 and was a huge hit. Made for $130,000,
it was picked up by Lion's Gate for $2.5 million.
Viewed at a press sneak in Austin
in August 2004. Harry Knowles was there (he's back
on crutches) with an entourage that included his father
and Cargill from cable TV's "The Reel Deal." Marjorie
Baumgarten of "The Austin Chronicle" and Chris Garcia
of "The Austin-American Statesman" were also there.
The screening was preceded by a
preview for "Saw," a horrible looking slasher flick
with Danny Glover and Cary Elwes that seemed to be
directed by some guy who spent far too much time watching
Rob Zombie movies.
