How Deep Is the Ocean

As an American watching an indie drama set in Australia, I was distracted by the beauty of the country and the intricacies and struggles of Australian life. While we can all relate with the struggles of everyday life I found it interesting seeing such portrayals in a world I'm unfamiliar with.

Olivia fiddles is an excellent actress in portraying the struggles and realities of life. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to walk out on my job but never had to guts to do so; it was satisfying seeing her pull the trigger on what I couldn't do.

The film takes a very impromptu approach in its film making style. The scenes seem to almost unfold naturally as Olivia deals with the struggles that director, Andrew Walsh, dishes at her time and time again! If you're interested in seeing the struggles of a young Australian coming of age definitely give How Deep is the Ocean a try!

This quiet, contemplative film takes a bit to hit its stride, but once it does, it casts a spell. It benefits from having a beautiful actress in the lead who is likely destined for big things, Olivia Fildes as the mysterious, mercurial Eleanor. She is well matched by her new flat mate, the alcoholic, unstable but affable comedian, Roy, played by Cris Cochrane. Their seemingly improvisational scenes pull the viewer in with the rhythm of everyday life.

Much of the movie plays out in long, uninterrupted takes. It is a testament to the writing and performances that they, mostly, hold the audience's attention. One early exception is when Eleanor commits an act of rebellion at a dead-end job. It unspools in desultory fashion, a missed opportunity for a bigger payoff.

But at its best, this reminded me of Greta Gerwig/Noah Baumbach collabs like Frances Ha. Poignant observations about life from a young person's point of view in an uncaring world with fleeting moments of grace. The closing piano theme is a fitting and beautiful note to fade out on.

This film is probably a common tragic story for wandering youth or young adults where the protagonist Eleanor seems to aimlessly drift from one pointless human encounter striving to find some meaning or happiness.

We know fairly little about her apart from her broken family history back in Adelaide and interestingly she spurns the advances of the one character who may likely give her the comfort and security that she really needs in her wandering life.

Despite the occasionally obvious improv dialogue the film actually has a more realistic script than many indie films that try to create natural speech interactions and results in a jumble of words that people often use if conversation.

How Deep is the Ocean is a thoughtful film that does a good job of exploring the loneliness that runaway youth or drifters experience each day. The long unbroken scene takes will likely challenge those with a 3 second attention span but the beauty is in the ability to stop and watch the characters closely and in this Director Andrew Walsh gives us full serving.

Eleanor's compelling journey unfolds against the urban tapestry of Melbourne in 'How Deep Is the Ocean.' Fildes delivers a captivating performance as the enigmatic drifter, navigating a world of exiles and outcasts. The boarding house, cynically named, becomes a crucible of human connections skillfully portrayed by Cochrane. Amidst dead-end jobs and futile affairs, the film intricately weaves a tale of resilience and missed connections. 'How Deep Is the Ocean' transcends its title, emerging as a metaphorical canvas where life's victories, losses, and profound lessons are masterfully depicted. Eleanor's compelling journey unfolds against the urban tapestry of Melbourne in 'How Deep Is the Ocean.' Fildes delivers a captivating performance as the enigmatic drifter, navigating a world of exiles and outcasts. The boarding house, cynically named, becomes a crucible of human connections skillfully portrayed by Cochrane. Amidst dead-end jobs and futile affairs, the film intricately weaves a tale of resilience and missed connections. 'How Deep Is the Ocean' transcends its title, emerging as a metaphorical canvas where life's victories, losses, and profound lessons are masterfully depicted.

How Deep is the Ocean is worth a watch. It is a mostly improvised film without much scripted dialogue and is well acted. It is an exploration of Eleanor, played by Olivia Fildes, finding herself in a new environment, the larger city of Melbourne, where she is just looking for a job and will not settle for just anything. She faces unexpected and unfortunate circumstances and the film shows the complexities and realities of living and surviving in a big city. Harsh lessons are learned, but most importantly, life keeps on moving forward.

I loved the shots of Melbourne, the camera work and the natural dialogue. This gave me of feel of Cassavete's Shadows, a raw experimental take on the communion and relationships of people. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to see more of Andrew Walsh's work. This is not your conventional film and it was beautiful exploration of the human condition.