Lets see what we have here … A low budget film, not too much promotion, rudimentary script, based on a real story, insignificant leading duo, complete absence of SFX, amateur camera filming … wait a minute, this sounds familiar. Blair Witch Project … You add all that together and what do you get? Open Water, a nice small diamond, not many carats, just a small one really but still a diamond!
The plot is as follows: A couple, Susan (played by Blanchard Ryan) and Daniel (played by Daniel Travis) decides to go on vacation on this exotic gorgeous island full of activities so they can relax and escape the work stress and the city life.
One of the days that they were on the island, they decide to participate in a group dive along with other experiences divers. So they all meet in the boat and sail towards the open sea. Purpose of the dive is to explore and get awed by the magnificent rich underwater world. Susan and Daniel wonder off from the group following some fancy fish. They wonder of for about 30 minutes.
In the meanwhile, the rest of the group is on the boat. One of the men organising the diving starts counting the people. I’ll tell you something …I’ll never trust the |||| |||| system ever again! As you can possibly imagine, the man counts wrong and gives the order for the ship to start going back to island.
Our pair comes to surface finding no boat... Some boats are visible in the distance but are two far away to swim at. This is followed by loads of arguing and blaming and encouraging for a while.
Sharks start flocking around … swimming under them … others attack fish around, away from the couple … The rest on the big screen … There are a few mistakes in the movie but they are very small .i.e. … Susan and Daniel's snorkels change sides (divers always wear them on the left).
Words are not enough to explain the feelings. Young director Chris Kentis accomplishes something very hard having a low budget and some real sharks. It is so genuine that the phrase “This is only a movie I am sitting here eating pop corn” does not cross your mind.
The film shooting is done with digital cameras, the sharks (as I mentioned before) are genuine and the result at second half the film is:Authentic terror.
The first half of the movie is a little bit slow but afterwards you just want to see what happens and get stuck in your seat/couch. Last 40 minutes of the movie I didn’t move a muscle because I didn’t want to miss a scene. I was so tense! Wait a minute> I was so tense with what? …. Water? … And a bunch of not that big of sharks swimming around 2 live baits? And now? What happens now? Will that grey thing swimming under them attack or will they stay still to survive until a rescue boat saves them? Result is: It’s one of those psychological thriller movies that keep you on the edge of your seat. Escalated terror! The director did a beautiful work and the result is an all right structured and tied up story.
The second part of the movie is … sadistic. Anxiety, curiosity, suspense and the terror escalates and you will still have to wait to see what happens; from Nadir to Zenith until the last seconds of the movie. The realism in the movie is diabolical Every time Susan or Daniel talk it’s realistic. You can imagine yourself being there saying the exact same thing. It made me feel like my feelings were being blackmailed but in a good way.
The film is very scary and tense. The sharks are real, they are not 50 feet long or make scary noises or trying to revenge their children’s death or remember faces. There are some ridiculously abrupt scenes. The horizon is bright during the day and the ocean is dark … when night falls … night falls, pitch black. Suddenly a lighting shows you Susan & Daniel VS sea VS the grey dark thing swimming underneath.
A friendly advice for those of you who follow their instincts and taste: Some of you will find this movie a waste of time and money. Some will be thrilled form it. My honest opinion is that the truth is somewhere in the middle.
The movie is unique in its kind. It is unreliably realistic and it gives what it promised to give; keep us tense in the edge of our seats for a while. I cannot say that it was a great movie, it was good though, and I will definitely not forget this small little movie diamond.
Director: Chris Kentis Cinematographer: Chris Kentis, Laura Lau Playing: Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein, Estelle Lau, Michael E. Williamson, Cristina Zenarro, John Charles Duration: 79 minutes Production: Lions Gate Films, 2004 Official site: http://www.openwatermovie.com/
Open Water
Shot on digital video with a pair of unknown actors (Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis) who
... more
tread water for most of the film's brisk 79-minute running time, Open Water is a fact-based exercise in primal fear that will scare the socks off anyone who drea...
Open Water
Shot on digital video with a pair of unknown actors (Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis) who
... more
tread water for most of the film's brisk 79-minute running time,Open Wateris a fact-based exercise in primal fear that will scare the socks off anyone who dreads...
Production Year: 2001 - Drama - Director: Phil Alden Robinson, Richard Loncraine, Mikael Salomon, David Nutter, Tom Hanks, David Leland, David Frankel, Tony To - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over
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