Open Water

An excellent example of how a very high-quality survival film can be made for a low budget. The emphasis in the film is on the development of relationships in a couple thrown into the sea. Sharks appear in moments, which is not surprising for such a budget, but closer and closer each time. This is enough to understand the hopelessness of the situation. Shots with a couple in the water and parties on the shore alternate very successfully. Everyone is having fun and is not even aware of the tragedy unfolding at the same time. The actors play great, especially given the shooting conditions. An excellent film about how people find themselves helpless and defenseless on the open sea.

It really doesn't surprise me that some people don't like this film. After all to truly enjoy Open Water one must open their mind and think. In this day and age that hardly ever happens anymore. Most filmmakers just decide to blow things up and hope that it's enough to entertain their audiences. Society in general has become numb what with the plots just laid out in front of us never questioning or asking us to use our imaginations. Open Water is a film that asks its viewers to place themselves at the heart of the movie; to feel the desperation, the hopelessness and the absolute terrifying ordeal. And for a change the movie is shot in a way that allows the viewer to feel as if truly there. Is it Jaws? No and its not meant to be. Maybe that's where the confusion lays. Open Water is a suspenseful film, excellent at that. If you're someone who actually enjoys figuring out the movie for yourself instead of being told in the first five minutes this is the film for you. Score: A.

Uses a minimalist budget, a vast outdoor setting, a very small cast, and a narrative that meticulously builds a pervasive sense of dread without giving too much away

Open Water might be a bit too low budget for many audience members.

But this is a prime example of how budget should not hold back a brilliant concept.

This is as realistic as it comes, from the scene in the hotel room where the couple lounge around completely nude (like people do in real life!), to the anxiety and horror of being in the Open Water, alone.

This might very well be an underrated masterpiece that has spawned numerous awful sequels.

As I walked out of the theater today, I felt so small and fragile, not to mention I couldn't pronounce a word because I was still very impressed by what I had just seen. This is a film that sets a great example of what movie making should be today. First because it was done without special effects or computers, second because it was very nicely done in terms of lighting, camera, acting and directing and third because it made me feel exactly what the characters were feeling the whole time. I was on my car and still I was left without words. As I drove, I was complaining about how somebody's negligence can have such consequences in other people's lives and reflecting on how arrogant and cocky we get even when we are completely out of our domain, thinking we know better. I am very fund of sharks and I love to see them on film, on TV and as close as an aquarium that has them can let you see them. I just finished reading a book about the USS Indianapolis and believe me there are terrifying stories for you to imagine about survivor's experiences with the sharks, but for the very first time someone made me feel like I was really among them myself and also someone made me feel very scared of them. I was changing positions over and over on my seat during the movie because I was really feeling uneasy and frightened at times. So come and see Open Water and let this movie remind you how fragile life is and how human we are. Live the experience of helplessness, terror and impotence towards what you cant see or solve as if you were really there and your life depended on it. Congratulations to the whole crew.