TRIANGLE
Australia/UK, 2009, 95 minutes, Colour.
Melissa George, Michael Dorman, Liam Hemsworth, Rachael Carpani, Emma Lung, Henry Nixon.
Directed by Christopher Smith.
If a director wants to make a suspense thriller aboard a yacht and then an empty luxury liner, Triangle is quite a good way to do it.
This is an Australian production with UK and Irish money, filmed on the Gold Coast. They Australian cast impersonate Americans in Florida – to ensure some American box-office.
The cast is small, spending the first half of the film on a yacht on a sunny Saturday afternoon sea pleasure cruise. Then comes a storm (quite effective) which overturns the yacht. When a liner hoves in sight, they are relieved and go on board. Since this is a scary thriller, you know that there are going to be frights and deaths (gory, but not exaggerated).
The problem was that after 40 minutes, most of the characters were dead. How could it go on for another hour? It does – and best not to give hints about what happens except that before the deaths, the heroine, Jess (Melissa George) has shuddering impressions of deja vu on the boat. Then the action moves quite rapidly with twists and turns.
The film could have ended several times with reasonable explanations of what has happened and fans of the genre will have probably worked out something plausible. But, the ending tricks us with another plausible explanation – which is a satisfying conclusion to a small budget but effective tease and scare thriller.
1.A satisfying suspense film? Frightening?
2.The Australian contribution, finance? UK co-production? An American story, the Australian actors as Americans, for money-making in the US?
3.The Florida setting, the sea, the town, the liner, the yacht? A sense of realism?
4.The impact of the storm, the special effects, the waves, the overturning of the yacht? The building of the liner, its interiors, action sequences? Musical score?
5.The title, the boat – and the triangles of plot?
6.A satisfying plot for a mystery, the touch of horror? Suspense? The introduction to Jessie, the suggestions of something wrong, yet a sense of realism, at home, the yacht and the pier? The transition to the storm, to the liner? Forty minutes into the film and all except Jess dead? The revelation of the two Jesses, their confrontations, the warnings, the continued repetitions, the recurring plot, recurring scenes, different angles, the blood message, Victor and his being wounded, the shootings, the theatre, reading the notes, getting the shotgun, Sally and her death – and the many Sallys dead on the deck? The corpses in the sea? Jess’s escape, going home, a different mother, different treatment of her son, killing her, taking her place, the crash – and the driver taking her to the wharf and everything happening again?
7.The character of Jess, as a caring mother, her boy and his autism and fears, her concern about the doorbell ringing, going to the neighbour? Going to the boat, saying her son was at school? Her fears, the long sleep, the dream about the crabs, waking, unable to remember the dream? Heather and the champagne? Heather, Downey and Sally? Her relationship with Greg, her work in the diner, his inviting her? Her sensing the storm?
8.Greg, genial, the boat, the couple and their friendship with Greg, the past, Sally inviting Heather, matchmaking, Heather saying she was unwilling? Greg and their going onto the boat, the fears, the search, his leadership? His death?
9.Heather, her disappearance in the water? Sally assuming she was still alive and calling for her?
10.Victor, young, the background of trouble, Greg taking him on, his work on the boat, his comments on Jess, on the liner, his injury, his death – recurring?
11.The different characters and their different behaviour in the recurring stories? The same, different?
12.Jess stalking, her fear, the confrontations with the group, with the other Jess, with each Jess? The good and the evil?
13.The build-up to the finale, her escaping from the liner, going home, seeing her son, seeing what a bad mother the other Jess was, killing her? Taking her place, reassuring her son? The car crash, the mysterious driver, taking her back to the beginning?
14.An eerie story, the fascination for the audience of the recurring events and the mystery and explanation?
