Dave Not Coming Back

Spoiler alert: don't read the title.

The life of scuba divers in search of depth seems more like a death wish. So why the hell tempt fate for what appears to be very little reward? That question is never really answered, yet we are introduced to several characters who unflinchingly espouse their devotion and unwavering dedication to the activity.

Boesmansgat is a deepwater submerged fresh water cave that punctures the South African Kalahari Desert. It is the monster's mouth that invites intrepid divers to test their mettle. It is where records are set. It is where people die. In 1994 twenty year old Deon Dryer perished there. A decade later Dave Shaw discovered the body at 270m. Shortly after, he enlisted friend and fellow diver Don Shirley for a recovery mission. This is the story of Deon, Dave and Don. You can't write this stuff.

As documentaries go, revealing a large part of the mystery from the get go is unusual practice, but here it works. Splicing original footage of the recovery dive, with re-enactments, director John Malak avoids the creepy sensationalism television favours, unfolding the story in a tense, beautiful and technical manner befitting the subject matter. The intricate preparation, endless logistical details and a spider web of planning is extraordinary, but when things go wrong, it is the in situ reaction of the team that ramps up the drama.

Diving down is easy, coming back up is not. Same with this movie.

• hipcRANK

I agree w other reviews that this film is short on details and long on self-aggrandizement.tthe divers were ill prepared and infuriatingly casual about the risk. When Dave says he's not really there to retrieve the body and giddily relates he's just doing it as a fun adventure. Don is lucky he's alive.

What should have been a gripping breakdown on the many perils of cave diving and the people who risk their lives doing it instead delivers a sketchy collection of disjointed interviews, re-enactments and talking heads. Basically, if you weren't in Dave's immediate social circle you'd have no idea what was happening here. The filmmaker is working on the assumption that everyone watching is fully aware of the backstory, protagonists and the incredibly complex technical aspects of cave diving equipment.

Who are these people? What do they do? Where are they from? What did cave divers outside their circle think of this expedition? (The cave diving world is tiny). How does a re-breather work? How was this cave formed? (It's in the middle of the Kalahari). Why didn't they consult a coroner or pathologist to determine the challenges of removing a 10 year old corpse. This list goes on...

On the plus side whoever scored the music for this film did a first class job, it's excellent.

The documentary starts with a well filmed overview of the site and appears as though it will be interesting. From there we seem to go all over the place. Back and forth, present day, historical, recent past... It just got a little confusing. Not sure if it was in the editing or the people in in it, but apart from Dave's wife, did not feel a real connection with some of the divers in it. Not saying the people weren't engaging or nice people, they just didn't come across engaging on the camera or documentary. There was another really well made doco with Scandinavian divers who retrieved a body from depth and that was compelling, interesting and gave a sense of the claustrophobic underwater surroundings but this just didn't have that same connection with the viewer. Shame really. And no disrespect to the lost divers.

I was interested in this based on a video I saw online. I liked the 12 minute video version better for reasons outlined in other reviews. You can find that video by searching for: QXIR Diver Lost Footage

If you like that then maybe this longer documentary with less detail might be right for you.