Review of Open Water (2004) by Thomas S — 10 Jul 2010

Is the phrase 'inspired by true events' or anything similar considered a guaranteed method to injecting an extra dimension of fear and tension into a movie? I don't think it has ever worked before and does little to enhance such an effect in Chris Kentis' film.

Based upon the events of American couple Eileen and Tom Lonergan, Daniel (Daniel Travis) and Susan (Blanchard Ryan) are a couple somewhat estranged by the pressures of their work, with a holiday lined up with the intention re-uniting the couple. When taking a scuba-diving trip, a miscalculated head count leaves the pair stranded in the middle of the ocean.

Simplicity permeates from storyline to style in Kentis' film, shot using a combination of vibrant colours and seemingly amateur camerawork to create the sense of realism and documentary-esque feature leading to the consistently unsettling undertone. The movie never blossoms into outright terror or jumpy moments, relying instead (and successfully) on the power of suggestion, imagination and cunning cinematographic contrast between the couple's situation and others.

Where this film succeeds in comparison to its poor encore: 'Adrift' is rooted in the fundamental difference in acting and character quality. Travis and Ryan convey the sense of genuine depth and chemistry such that the threat and desperation of their plight seems almost always to be accessible to the viewer. Whilst the development and action of their characters in the desperate-survival situation is somewhat unsurprising, it works all the same.

For a low budget film (around $130,000), 'Open Water' is a brilliant portrayal of minimalist film-making and the potential of fully using all available assets, easily capable of holding its head above the B-movie tackiness it might have succumbed to and fully deserving of its breathing-space amongst the bigger budget films. Chris Kentis deserves enormous credit for his direction and script which makes the expected and tested seem fresh.

However, the lesser rating is pointed at the lack of layering in the film; no matter how good it may seem, 'Open Water' is very much a what-you-see-is-what-you-get and fails to really offer any greater hunger for more or repeated viewings.