Open Water review

If you're planning to go on a scuba diving holiday any time in the near future, then you'll probably be better off avoiding Open Water. The film, already being dubbed as Jaws meets The Blair Witch Project, paints a less than rosy picture of life on the ocean waves, and while it certainly isn't a frightfest in terms of blood and guts, the psychological terror is enough to put you off any sort of water sports for life. Made for a reported $150,000, the film has already recouped $20m in the US alone.

Based on true events, the film tells the story of Susan (Blanchard Ryan) and Daniel (Daniel Travis), a young American couple who leave their stressed lives as media types for a relaxing sun and sea holiday in a tropical island paradise. Once they arrive everything seems fine: it's hot, the people are friendly and the locale is beautiful. On their first full day they get up early to meet the boat that will take them out for an hour's deep sea diving.

As the couple dive, we see events on the boat unfolding as an obnoxious fellow passenger confuses everyone on board by demanding a dive despite not having brought his equipment. Susan and Daniel float happily, but begin to realise something is wrong when the boat doesn't come back to collect them. Initially they remain upbeat - surely this is all just a simple mistake.

But as the minutes turn into hours, confidence turns into fear and fear turns into panic. Husband and wife remain upbeat, but the fatigue of floating endlessly in the water begins to take its toll, as well as the lack of anything to drink despite the liquid all around them. Each character tries to keep the other buoyant, but when they begin to feel pecks on their legs from the creatures in the sea, they know that their dream holiday is about to turn into a nightmare.

It's been seven years since director Chris Kentis made his first feature (the little seen Grind starring Billy Crudup), and on a shoestring budget he handles his material extremely effectively. Just as in Jaws, the terror creeps slowly into the film, and he refuses to introduce cheap shocks in favour of an ever-increasing fear on behalf of both the audience and the two main characters.

Shooting on digital also allows him to evoke natural performances from the two lead actors, whose bravery in what is apparently a film without any special effects is all too clear to see. The tension and squabbles between the two is extremely natural and acts as a portent of events to come, and the mood swings they undergo as they float in the ocean for hours are extremely well portrayed. The director cleverly realises that less is more, and it's likely that you'll watch Open Water with through your hands with a growing sense of discomfort.