OPEN WATER

US, 2004, 85 minutes, Colour.
Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein.
Directed by Chris Kentis.

Open Water is a brief, rather intense psychological drama. Advertisements might have led audiences to believe it was a variety on Jaws. However, it is about a husband and wife who are stranded in open water, shark-infested water, and have to interaction with each other and try to survive. Blanchard Ryan as the wife and Daniel Travis as the husband are unknown actors but are quite convincing. The film had minimal budget, minimal crew – and, perhaps, some of the dialogue is rather obvious, even trite. However, as an exercise in suspense, audiences identifying with characters in a situation that they might never be in – but feel are real – make the film quite effective within its expectations.

1. The impact of the film, based on a true story?

2. The situation in Hawaii, holiday-makers, diving, the boats and the staff? The precautions so that people would not be left behind? The fact of human error in this story?

3. The introduction to Susan and Daniel? Their relationship, going on a holiday, busy with mobile phones? The flight, the hotel, sunning themselves, the atmosphere of the resort? In their room, the relationship, love? Work and commitment? Leaving it behind?

4. The people on the boat, the staff, the regulations, the safety checks? The diver not listening, looking for his mask? His finally getting a mask, the young woman not going down, forcing her companion to be his safeguard? Their not being counted as coming back? The nature of the error?

5. Susan and Daniel, enjoying the dive, the fish, coming back last? The boat gone?

6. Their experience in the water, audiences identifying with them, asking themselves what they would do in similar circumstances?

7. The reaction to the boat being gone, their being in the right place? The right time? Treading water, trying to decide what to do, looking for boats, signalling? Their being carried by the tide? Dehydration, nausea from the waves? Urinating? The reality of their ordeal? The film indicating time passing?

8. The difficulties, the sharks, the jellyfish and the stings? Daniel with his knife? Susan sick, sleeping, their drifting apart, being able to find each other? The angers? Susan and her denouncing Daniel because of it being his fault, always wanting to do things by himself? His blaming her for the planning of the holiday, when they could have been somewhere else? The importance of the bickering, their calmness afterwards? Daniel and his screaming and yelling?

9. Night falling, Daniel being bitten by the shark, Susan trying to help? Her holding him, trying to reassure him? Night, the lightning and the thunderstorm? The circling sharks?

10. The morning, Daniel dead, Susan and her watching the sharks, her finally deciding to go under the water?

11. The scene in the hotel, their not in their rooms? The discovery of their gear on the boat? The search party – and the failure?

12. The credits sequence at the end, the shark, finding the camera?

13. Audiences identifying with the characters, the difficulties, the dangers, their way of behaving?