Movie Review: Open Water
I’m feeling better after being ill for the past past several days, and to celebrate my recovery Karen took me to see Open Water this evening. It was nice to get out of the house.
As we left the theater after the show, one of the other patrons (who evidently also saw the movie) roared by the entrance in their truck and shouted “Open Water sucks ass! Don’t see it!” to the crowd congregated nearby. This brought a few pre-pubescent giggles, and Karen and I sort-of laughed and smiled at each other as we heard him say it — that’s pretty much how we both felt about the movie, too.
Here’s what I liked:
- There was time given to develop the characters.
- There was time given to develop the pre-disaster plot.
- The drama around the accounting mistake that left the two divers behind.
- The accuracy of how invisible two people are on the open sea.
Here’s what I didn’t like:
- Despite the time given, the characters were barely developed.
- Despite the time given, the pre-disaster plot was barely developed.
- The digital video.
- The stupidity of the two main characters.
- The ending.
I’ll say this about the digital video: it’s okay. I understand that it’s a great deal less expensive than traditional film, and that it gives creative immediacy to the director. But, to me, it doesn’t look like cinema unless it’s on film. (Karen’s comment at the beginning of the movie was “this looks like a bad porn film” to which I quite honestly responded “how would you know?”) I suppose I’ll just have to get used to it. Truthfully, I did get accustomed to it after a few minutes — I just wasn’t expecting it.
As for the main characters, they were so shallow at the beginning that I was expecting some heroics or unusual moral strength to be pulled from the depths of their personal character when they were placed in their bad situation. This never arrived. Instead, they argued about whose fault it was that placed them where they were. Certain moments when equipment was lost were emphasized with a significance that was frustratingly never revealed. There was a somewhat ridiculous homage made to Cast Away (a very satisfying film, and one of my favorites) at one point, but when they did decide to make a break for the only refuge they could find their swimming efforts were so ridiculously feeble they left me exhausted.
I won’t reveal the ending, but I will say this: I kept anticipating a great climactic baring of the souls that never came. Even after they decided hope was lost, not once was there a great reconciliation and reflection of a life shared. This was the most disappointing aspect of all.
My conclusion: the movie is not about being left behind at sea. It is about the shallowness of modern culture, and a commentary on the lack of depth of character in our society, such that we cannot survive out of our soft self-made habitat. I do not agree with the premise, nor did the filmmakers make their argument well — which is why I do not like the film. I give it a thumbs down overall, with a weak twitch upward for morbid curiosity.