Open Water

Year: 2003

Grade: B+

Country: USA

Director: Kentis

Review

pretty much exactly what an indie film should be. it’s basically a “blair witch project” in the ocean, but it’s not just a knock off, and even if it were it doesn’t much matter because the film is so good. there will probably be some spoilers ahead… the film follows a yuppie couple on their island getaway. we get to know them for a little while and then, while scuba diving with a group, they are left alone in the middle of the ocean. that’s the gist of the plot. it’s low concept filmmaking at its best. the film is shot using dv and it perfectly matches the style and subject of the film. i’m sure it was more of an economic decision than anything else, but knowing your economic limitations and changing the way you shoot the film shows that you know what you’re doing. you don’t try to shoot ben-hur on dv, and the filmmakers clearly understood that.

by far the most important aspect of the film was the hook. if the couple didn’t have an onscreen chemistry, and if the filmmakers didn’t establish some normalcy from the beginning then the rest of the film would have suffered greatly. shots of the couple in bed, brushing their teeth, etc. all pay their dividends in the second half of the film. simply put, this film had me rapt in anticipation as soon as the couple got into the water. i think that some people will be put off by the ending, but that’s more a function of what viewers have come to expect from thrillers than anything else. a recommendable film.

Watched in theater