When I was in elementary school I took swimming classes and I always cringed when it was time to tread water. The higher the badge you were going for, the more minutes you had to tread water. It was always tiring for me, and I often wondered what would happen if I were ever adrift at sea and forced to tread water to stay alive. It also got me thinking about how isolated and terrifying it would be if I were stuck on the ocean with no help in sight and no hope of rescue. You'll pardon the expression, but like a tidal wave these sensations came flooding back to me as I watched Open Water, a movie that's been playing in limited release at various theatres around North America.
The film stars Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis as Suzy and Daniel. They are a couple in need of a vacation, and they fly to an unspecified tropical resort. Once there, they banter about work and soak up the sun. The next day the pair opts to go scuba diving and are soon underwater, swimming with the eels and fishes. When the rest of the group submerges and the organizers depart, Suzy and Daniel are accidentally left behind due to a miscalculation of numbers, and their traumatic purgatory at sea comprises the rest of the film.
With no horizon in sight, the movie becomes a sea-sickening adventure for the heroes and the viewer as well. The endless blue water and sky become torturously relentless. While adrift, they grow tired, nauseous, become thirsty and hungry, and start to fight about who's to blame for their misfortunes. They are soon accompanied by fish who nip at their wetsuits, jellyfish who sting them, and sharks who circle in hopes of a meal. Eventually, the scuba diving expedition will notice the couple is missing, but will they be rescued on time?
Open Water has an intense look and feel about it, which is the primary reason it works so well. As written and directed by Chris Kentis on what must have been a relatively small budget, the scenes often seem realistic and uncluttered thanks to its generic setting and inventive camerawork. I would imagine the production shoot was exhausting to set up and it must have been a challenge to maintain consistency throughout. Add to this the fact that real sharks were used during the filming, and some of the harrowing shots become even more impressive.
There are a few wonky aspects with each of the lead performances, but these occur primarily at the beginning, and by the time their fear takes over, we are more than willing to sympathize with their circumstances. The real star of the picture is the ocean, as vast and ominous as any three-dimensional villain could be. When the waves lap up and down against the camera or when the weather threatens to change for the worse, the result is almost a physical reaction to what's on the screen. The temperature in the movie theatre literally drops a few points.
At the opening of Open Water, a title tells us it is based on true events. And for those who had to go through an ordeal such as this, I am flabbergasted both by their resolve and at their obvious bad luck. It's hard enough for me to fathom having to tread water alone for more than 10 minutes continuously. The mere thought of being stranded, having to wait for help that may never arrive, cuts to the heart of the deepest of many people's anxieties. Open Water may not be on par with thrillers such as Jaws or The Blair Witch Project (to which it is most often compared), but even the mere idea of comparing the three says more than enough about its chilling premise and how successfully it follows through.
