One wonders if Open Water would even exist if it were not for The Blair Witch Project. The film, photographed with digital video cameras, using actors with limited professional experience, and staged in a very documentary style, owes a lot to the old Witch. But the debt is very easily repaid. Despite some weak scenes towards the beginning of the film, Open Water proves to be a rather tense, involving experience.
The film's plot is rather unsophisticated: Susan (Blanchard Ryan) and Daniel (Daniel Travis) are going on a vacation together on a warm Caribbean island. It begins innocently enough: swimming, shopping, fooling around in the hotel. Then the two decide to go scuba diving with a charter operation and, through a twist of fate (and some rather poor counting skills by the crew of the boat), the two are accidentally left stranded in the water, in the middle of nowhere. A powerful current moves them along, they spot boats in the distance but don't think they can swim to them, and then they begin to argue. This is all before the sharks begin appearing, leaving the divers with a significant sense of dread.
As promised, Open Water is a rather minimalist experience. In the film's early scenes, the amateurish nature of the production is readily apparent. The scenes between the two lovers (it's a bit unclear whether they are married or not) are obviously not being performed by seasoned professionals. Both actors are not terrible, but they are not exactly polished either, taking away some of the sense of disbelief. The digital video photography is also a double edged sword: at times it gives the film a sense of verisimilitude, at others it makes it feel like we are watching something filmed by your buddy who is an aspiring filmmaker with his camcorder on a five dollar budget.
Most of these gripes disappear once the divers are stranded alone in the ocean. What seemed like an exercise in minimalist film-making that was quickly becoming mediocre suddenly becomes involving. The film poses a great what if question: what would you do, trapped in the middle of the ocean by yourself, miles from land and with no help in sight. These characters do what probably most of us would do, second guess themselves, panic, allow anger and feelings of guilt take hold of themselves, and begin wishing for a miracle when trouble appears in the form of a shark. Or, in this film's case, multiple sharks. There was a bit of media hoopla when Open Water was released concerning the fact that the actors were filmed in waters with real live sharks, but the material works wonderfully. We really believe these two are in danger and the imagery of sharks in the water hasn't contained this kind of power since Jaws.
Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis both had very limited acting resumes before this film, and their early scenes reveal a somewhat amateurish feel to their performances, but the two acquit themselves fairly well in the latter scenes in the water. There, they perform as I believe people probably would in that situation, first with disbelief, then anger, then fear. They may not be perfect, but they get the job done well.
The film's strongest sequence is set at night, when the two are surrounded by sharks, with the only lighting we are given are occasional flashes of lightning from a distant storm. The sense of dread is palpable in this scene, and director Chris Kentis should be given credit for assembling a very tense piece of work.
Open Water is by no means a masterpiece, it's a little rough around the edges at times, but overall it is a involving piece of cinema that is worth a rent.
The film's plot is rather unsophisticated: Susan (Blanchard Ryan) and Daniel (Daniel Travis) are going on a vacation together on a warm Caribbean island. It begins innocently enough: swimming, shopping, fooling around in the hotel. Then the two decide to go scuba diving with a charter operation and, through a twist of fate (and some rather poor counting skills by the crew of the boat), the two are accidentally left stranded in the water, in the middle of nowhere. A powerful current moves them along, they spot boats in the distance but don't think they can swim to them, and then they begin to argue. This is all before the sharks begin appearing, leaving the divers with a significant sense of dread.
As promised, Open Water is a rather minimalist experience. In the film's early scenes, the amateurish nature of the production is readily apparent. The scenes between the two lovers (it's a bit unclear whether they are married or not) are obviously not being performed by seasoned professionals. Both actors are not terrible, but they are not exactly polished either, taking away some of the sense of disbelief. The digital video photography is also a double edged sword: at times it gives the film a sense of verisimilitude, at others it makes it feel like we are watching something filmed by your buddy who is an aspiring filmmaker with his camcorder on a five dollar budget.
Most of these gripes disappear once the divers are stranded alone in the ocean. What seemed like an exercise in minimalist film-making that was quickly becoming mediocre suddenly becomes involving. The film poses a great what if question: what would you do, trapped in the middle of the ocean by yourself, miles from land and with no help in sight. These characters do what probably most of us would do, second guess themselves, panic, allow anger and feelings of guilt take hold of themselves, and begin wishing for a miracle when trouble appears in the form of a shark. Or, in this film's case, multiple sharks. There was a bit of media hoopla when Open Water was released concerning the fact that the actors were filmed in waters with real live sharks, but the material works wonderfully. We really believe these two are in danger and the imagery of sharks in the water hasn't contained this kind of power since Jaws.
Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis both had very limited acting resumes before this film, and their early scenes reveal a somewhat amateurish feel to their performances, but the two acquit themselves fairly well in the latter scenes in the water. There, they perform as I believe people probably would in that situation, first with disbelief, then anger, then fear. They may not be perfect, but they get the job done well.
The film's strongest sequence is set at night, when the two are surrounded by sharks, with the only lighting we are given are occasional flashes of lightning from a distant storm. The sense of dread is palpable in this scene, and director Chris Kentis should be given credit for assembling a very tense piece of work.
Open Water is by no means a masterpiece, it's a little rough around the edges at times, but overall it is a involving piece of cinema that is worth a rent.