OPEN WATER
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2004 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
The difference between 20 and 22 could be the difference between life and death
in OPEN WATER, based on a harrowing true story. Susan (Blanchard Ryan) and
Daniel (Daniel Travis), a busy, busy couple who decide they need a vacation,
set off for an idyllic tropical island trip to get away from it all. And, once
there, what could be a better way to relax than a morning's dive with a group
of other strangers looking to relieve the stress of their hectic jobs?
The guy on the dive boat in charge of counting the scuba divers makes a simple
mistake, thinking 20 people are underwater so that when all 20 surface and are
accounted for, the boat departs, leaving numbers 21 and 22, Susan and Daniel,
behind.
At first, Susan and Daniel are bravely nonchalant, reasoning that the error
will quickly be realized and help will be on the way. They see several boats
in the distance, but none notice them no matter how frantically they wave.
Although the guide -- the infamous miscounter -- had laughed about the local
sharks, saying that they aren't aggressive or dangerous to humans, Susan and
Daniel begin to worry that they should be worrying. The jelly fish start
stinging them, and the sharks start taunting them. "Jesus, what kind are
they," Susan asks of Daniel, the family's animal expert because of his
proclivity for watching the Discovery Channel. "Big ones," he explains with
more than enough info.
As the two of them bob in the water for an hour, don't be surprised if you
begin to get just as seasick as Susan, who finds her Dramamine wearing off too
soon.
The tensions of the situation sometimes drive the divers mad and, at other
times, make them tranquil. Sometimes they go at each other with shark-like
viciousness, and sometimes they are as cuddly as two dolphins. "I don't know
what is worse, seeing them or not seeing them," Susan confides in Daniel about
the sharks. "Seeing them," he quickly retorts.
Will they live or will they die, and will the dive boat operators ever realize
the horrible mistake they have made? If you're lucky -- I wasn't -- you will
see the movie not knowing the answers.
OPEN WATER runs just 1:19. It is rated R for "language and some nudity" and
would be acceptable for teenagers.
The film is playing in nationwide release now in the United States. In the
Silicon Valley, it is showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the
Camera Cinemas.
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