Body of Beauty in Body of Water.
by
Jon Dunmore © 6 Apr 2009.
Based on a true incident, OPEN WATER tells the speculative tale of two deep-sea divers accidentally abandoned by their diving party in Caribbean open water.
 Daniel (Daniel Travis) and Susan (Blanchard Ryan - one of the most beautiful actresses of our day) are the divers, on a tropical getaway to patch up small marital problems.
On the diving boat, the tour guide keeps count of the dozen or so divers by using the technological method of making tally marks on a scrap of paper.
Daniel and Susan dive a little further than they should and when they surface, the genius with the tally marks has miscounted returning divers and the boat has departed.
Two insignificant bodies in a limitless ocean - fact that one of them is Blanchard Ryan's 9.5 body is doubly tragic...
OPEN WATER is a strange dichotomy of disturbia: on the one hand, because it plays on our primal fears, it is compelling; on the other hand, it's kinda morbid two actual divers inspired this movie WITH THEIR DEATHS. The actual victims of the harrowing, fatal ordeal get nothing out of this filmic account, yet OPEN WATER speculates their last days with wild abandon. (Did I just say 'abandon'?)
In the open water, as boats appear intermittently, tantalizingly out of signaling range, Daniel and Susan go through stages of coping - first, their disbelief that they are even "lost" in this modern world. As the surreal black of night descends (with our only views of them provided by stark flashes of lightning), they focus on survival, leaning on each other for support; the Pointless Blaming Argument starts seven hours into their ordeal (which I think was overestimating the divers' patience), that tragically funny familiar Couples Argument that will change nothing and go nowhere.
Uh-Oh!
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At first, Daniel is the Man, ensuring his woman is safe. When the realization dawns that he is impotent out there, it is fathoms worse than losing a job and not being a provider. His visceral Primal Scream is more than just fear and frustration at the incompetence of the tourist boat - he is losing hold of that pedestal that he must naturally occupy as a Man in a heterosexual relationship.
We will never know exactly what transpired between the lost couple, as they were never seen again after they were abandoned, so it is slightly sad, as well as terrifying, that the whole movie is absolute speculation. Speculation on when a shark took a bite out of Daniel's calf, how they survived in the water so long after his blood would've been a beacon to deep-water predators; whether sharks attacked them at all, how long they survived in the water and how they passed their time trying to live or die.
Written, directed, shot and edited by Chris Kentiss, with assistance from wife, Laura Lau, with no crew to speak of, OPEN WATER was filmed over the course of two years on a guerrilla schedule and indie budget, bucking the Hollywood system without us realizing it.
Look carefully, you'll see Steve Lemme (from Broken Lizard) on the boat as a diving extra (Blanchard's real-life boyfriend - oh, the pain!). If he ever abandons you, Blanchard honey, I'll be your little green life raft...
END
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
Deleted Scenes - Audio Commentary with stars - Audio Commentary with directors. |
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