Review of Open Water (2004) by Roger T — 08 May 2010

Much like "Alpha Dog", this film is good but hard to watch because of it's base in reality. The film is loosely based on a real life American couple who, in 1998, went diving with a large group off the Great Barrier Reef and were subsequently left after staying down longer than the others. It took the diving company and hostel 48 hours to realize they were missing and sent out a weeklong search and rescue. The couples' bodies were never found and it is believed they either succumbed to the sea or were eaten by sharks.

So yeah... considering this is based on a true story, it makes the film that much harder to watch. Especially in the ending. It's not action-packed by any means. As others have said, it's basically two people bobbing in the blue sea, talking, arguing, and clinging to each other helplessly as sharks encircle their feet and nip at them. In this film's case, as in many others (such as the sci-fi film "Moon"), less IS more.

"Open Water" proves you don't have to have a big budget and special FX to get under your audiences' skin. This film, in a sense, is a horror film if you ask me. It truly taps into our fears and just makes you think, "How terrible!" as you picture yourself in such a horrible position. It's genuinely frightening and disturbing to think about. Be prepared to be depressed, because that is inevitably what you will feel. This is probably why a lot of people disliked it. It isn't the Hollywood ending we all hoped for but it serves as a disturbing reminder that people don't always get out of the horrendous situations they find themselves in.