THE DIVE

Germany, 2023, 91 minutes, Colour.

Louisa Krause, Sophie Lowe.

Directed by Maximilian Erlenwein.

It is probably a good sign of the times to have women protagonists in action adventures that used to be the prerogative of male protagonists. In recent years, there have been underwater adventures, like this one, featuring women, or mountain climbing challenges, women trapped on ledges. The Dive, filmed in Malta, with some spectacular cliff scenery, and underwater Mediterranean photography (as well as in studio tanks), has two sisters driving to a remote location for scuba diving.

In fact, the premise of the story is quite simple. And it could happen. There is always this kind of risk. The two sisters are exploring, there is an underwater shower of rocks, one of the sisters being trapped, her leg caught by a substantial force. And, for the sisters, and for the audience, the questions of the amount of air available, how to lift the rock and free the leg, is the issue of whether there is anyone around (in fact, there is a church with a large cross, and some Catholic imagery, but no one there). What about the timing, the energy of the sister who has to perform all the steps for the rescue, the pressure on her, the worry. And, the fate of the woman trapped below the ocean surface.

This is quite an international film. It is a German production, the director himself German. One of the sisters is played by Louisa Krause, an American actress, the other by Sophie Lowe, from Australia. And the dialogue is in English. It is based on a 2020 Norwegian film, Breaking Surface.

The impact of the film will depend on the audience’s attitudes toward scuba diving, enthusiasts will be interested, others might find it too remote from their own experiences. And there is something frighteningly claustrophobic about being trapped underwater. And there is the continual challenge – what would we do in similar situations, what is the effect of the physical pressure, the psychological pressure, and how much inventiveness and creativity would we have for the rescue?

For the first 12 minutes, the main intention is the relationship between the two sisters, memories of their father, playing together, diving together, some falling out – and a few flashbacks throughout the film, personalising the underwater crisis.

So, enjoyment value will depend on the impact the sisters make, audience response to the dangerous situation, and the challenge for a rescue (which, does not quite turn out as we might have been expecting!).  

1. The title, straightforward, the plot and relationship between the two sisters, tensions, the scuba diving, the remote place, the accident, the rescue?
2. The Mediterranean settings, remote, the vast cliffs, the beaches, the water, the underwater photography, fish, the crags and cliffs, canyons, the rock shower? The church, the interiors, the iconography? The remote boat? The flashbacks? The musical score?
3. The two sisters, the tensions in the car, the relationship, memories of their father, the flashbacks, swimming, companionship, rivalry? The bonding scuba diving?
4. The remoteness, no one around, later seeing the church, the cross, the interiors, the iconography, the tools? The boat on the horizon? Writing the note for the rescue?
5. The Joy of the swimming, the rock shower, the sister trapped, taking control, the issue of the oxygen, the tanks, the timing? Her staying underwater, the pressure? Her memories?
6. The sister and her panic, the instructions for the oxygen of the tanks, going to the surface, the car locked, breaking the window, the tanks, going to the church, desperate, the tools, writing the note? Seeing the boat in the distance? The car boot, locked, pushing the car, the crash? The Pole?
7. Going to the rescue, trying to lift the rock, the Pole breaking? The issue of the oxygen? Ultimately getting the leg free? The rescuer staying underwater, in the pool, unconscious, the other sister going to the surface, getting the oxygen, returning? Resuscitating her sister?
8. The Joy of scuba diving, adventure? The personal story? The drama of the rescue, each sister rescuing the other?