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You're married and you and your partner have stressful
jobs. You both decide to vacation by the ocean and do
some deep-sea diving. Circumstances happen, and you
surface only to find your boat and dive group has left
without you. Worse, you see sharks start to swim
around you.
Sound implausible? Well, that's the plot to "Open
Water" and it is based on an event that did happen to
a couple in Australia in 1998.
"Open Water" is sort of "The Blair Witch Project" of
the summer. The movie's budget was only $130,000. It
got positive buzz at the film festivals. Then, it was
released to a wider audience. Another similiarity is
the small cast. Blanchard Ryan stars as Susan, while
Daniel Travis plays Daniel.
But does it work as a scary thriller? For the most
part, yes. The acting has a real feel to it and is
incredible under the circumstances of what the actors
went through. The sharks in the ocean with the actors
were real too. As if that's not enough for peril, just
as scary is being alone and the feeling of desolation
and of being stranded.
While the heart of the movie is outstanding, it's
opening and ending may leave you a little flat. The
characters don't buy the their predicament until after
hours have passed in the water. Me? If I don't see a
boat when I surface, I would instantly panic.
Two things I noticed: Daniel Travis' sideburns seemed
to be thin, then more full in the later scenes.
That's somewhat understandable. The film was shot
over weekends and holidays. Also, for much of the
film, Ryan and Travis are shoulder-to-shoulder abreast
while floating in the water. Wouldn't it reason that
if two folks were all alone and conversing that they
would talk to each other face-to-face? Granted,
perhaps director Chris Kentis didn't want to shoot the
actors in profile.
"Open Water" is rated R. Blanchard Ryan is seen
topless while in bed in the opening. It's a very good
movie, but not as great as I had hoped.
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