Sunday, April 02, 2006

Love bites: "Open Water"

Now this is what you expect in an indie flick: a basic story, short running time, unknown actors and no nice, neat ending. Even if "Open Water" isn't "Casablanca," it's still an easily digestible nugget of entertainment that came out of nowhere, grossing more than $30 million in the U.S. after being made for less than $200,000.

Not sure why I missed this movie when it was in theaters, but it moved to the top of our Netflix queue a week or so ago, even before I heard from friends about the random nudity displayed by the female lead. (Good friends, those guys.) While this definitely wasn't a film for My Eternal Beloved -- she's not a big fan of the water, and even less of herky-jerky camera work -- I knew I could crank this 79-minute movie out in short order.

Our story has an engaged thirtysomething couple, apparently somewhat at odds, taking off for a tropical vacation. This includes scuba diving, with our heroes joining a large group expedition into far offshore waters. Alas, due to a mixup in the head count, the two emerge from the deep to find they've been left behind. What to do, what to do ...

It's a shockingly simple concept, "inspired by true events," and when something like that is done well, it's enough for a decent movie. I'll admit that when I heard this was based on two people left behind, I wondered how in hell something that stupid could happen. But you know what, it was pretty understandable as portrayed here, so much that I thought, "Oh, this is going to suck."

Of course, the real action is after the boat leaves, with Susan and Daniel first amused, then annoyed, then afraid. Hey, imagine how you'd feel. If you had the guts to go scuba diving in the first place, you probably wouldn't be scared right away, thinking the boat would be back before long. But the longer you're out there, the more tired you get, and the more like shark bait you seem.

Ah yes, the sharks. We don't get a big-a$$ Jaws-type here, but there are plenty of smaller guys who become bolder and bolder about nibbling this nubile duo. The documentary feel -- not sure there's any music in the water scenes -- allows the shots of the sharks to speak for themselves, and you get a decent idea of what the couple is going through. "What was that? Did you feel that?"

That said, a more experienced director and bigger budget could have amped up the tension a bit more, as could more talented actors. No question that this basic of a story doesn't need Kate Winslet and Daniel Day-Lewis, but the actors we do get (Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis) are pretty one-note and didn't have quite the range to pull off all the emotions, from frustration with each other (before the dive and after being left behind) to love so strong that each really didn't want the other to be eaten by sharks.

All in all, "Open Water" was easy to watch and commendable for (a) not going any longer than its short running time and (b) not taking the easy way out with the ending. I'd hate to ruin it for you, but ... what the hell. Turns out Susan was cheating on Daniel ... with one of the sharks!

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