Open Water (2003)

Director:

Chris Kentis

Writer:

Chris Kentis (written by)

Release Date:

20 August 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Drifting into theaters this summer.

Plot:

Based on the true story of two scuba divers accidentally stranded in shark infested waters after their tour boat has left.

Plot Keywords:

Boat | Shark | Scuba Diving | Diving | Water

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Blanchard Ryan	...	Susan
Daniel Travis	...	Daniel
Saul Stein	...	Seth
Michael E. Williamson	...	Davis (as Michael Williamson)
Cristina Zenato	...	Linda (as Cristina Zenaro)
John Charles	...	Junior (as Jon Charles)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Estelle Lau	...	Estelle (uncredited)
Steve Lemme	...	Scuba Diver (uncredited)

Directed by
Chris Kentis

Writing credits
Chris Kentis		(written by)

Produced by
Estelle Lau	....	associate producer
Laura Lau	....	producer

Original Music by
Graeme Revell

Cinematography by
Chris Kentis		(shot by)
Laura Lau		(shot by)

Film Editing by
Chris Kentis

Sound Department
Mark DeSimone	....	adr mixer: New York
Marc Fishman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tony Lamberti	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jon Mete	....	sound effects designer
Jon Mete	....	sound effects editor
Glenn T. Morgan	....	supervising sound designer
Glenn T. Morgan	....	supervising sound editor
Todd Orr	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tom Ozanich	....	sound designer
Tom Ozanich	....	sound effects editor
Ben Wilkins	....	sound editor
Ben Wilkins	....	sound effects designer
Ben Wilkins	....	sound effects editor
David Barbee	....	sound editor (uncredited)
John Bires	....	audio engineer (uncredited)
Matt Colleran	....	sound re-recordist (uncredited)
Victor Ray Ennis	....	first assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Paul Flinchbaugh	....	digital assistant (uncredited)
Nerses Gezalyan	....	foley mixer (uncredited)
Jeff Glueck	....	audio engineer (uncredited)
Kenneth L. Johnson	....	foley editor (uncredited)
Diane Marshall	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Stefanie Melchor	....	additional sound (uncredited)
James Moriana	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Lucy Sustar	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Jeffrey Wilhoit	....	foley artist (uncredited)
David Young	....	audio engineer (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Haven Cousins	....	compositor

Editorial Department
Haven Cousins	....	lead colorist
Thomas Edmon	....	digital intermediate supervisor (as Tom Edmon)
Jim Finn	....	negative cutter
Robert Luttrell	....	digital color timer
Matt Woo	....	digital intermediate technician (as Matthew Woo)
Richard Haylock	....	on-line editor (uncredited)
Corey Michael Lincoln	....	post-production assistant (uncredited)
Neil Murphy	....	film recordist (uncredited)

Music Department
Nathan Barr	....	composer: additional music
Mark Curry	....	score mixer
Joel C. High	....	music executive
Ashley Revell	....	music editor

Other crew
Peter Block	....	acquisitions executive
Stuart Cove	....	shark wrangler
Robert Luttrell	....	digital film timer
Pascual Romero	....	publicity and promotions
David E. Russo	....	programmer

Thanks
Joel C. High	....	thanks
Tom Ortenberg	....	thanks
Oreet Rees	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Plunge Pictures LLC

Distributors

• Lions Gate Films (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• CDI Films (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• DeA Planeta Home Entertainment (2004) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Eagle Pictures (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Independent Films (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Movie-Eye Entertainment (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Redbus Film Distribution (2004) (UK) (theatrical)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2004) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Shaw Organisation (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Spentzos Films (2004) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Viva Films (2004) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Eagle Films (2003) (Non-USA) (all media) (Middle East)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2004) (Canada) (DVD)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD) (VHS)
• Pony Canyon (2005) (Japan) (DVD)
• Star Entertainment (2005) (India) (all media)
• Tien (2007) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Mi Casa Multimedia  DVD audio mastering 5.1& 6.1
• Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein  legal services
• GMI  financing
• Heavy Light Digital  digital intermediate and film transfer
• Immediate Music  additional music provided by
• Jeremy Walker + Associates  publicity
• Numerical Sound  additional music provided by
• Soundelux  sound post-production
• TVT Soundtrax  soundtrack published by
• Todd-AO Studios  sound re-recording (as Todd-AO)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some nudity

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Portugal:M/16 | Iceland:10 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Bahamas

Company:

Plunge Pictures LLC

Trivia:

Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis spent over 120 hours in the water over the course of production.

Goofs:

Continuity: All four of Susan's hose protectors, where the hoses attach to the first stage, start off being yellow. Towards the end of the film two are either missing or change color.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Daniel:[on his cellphone] Hey Don. It's Daniel. Listen, don't put the boiler in until I get back. The framing inspection isn't for a couple of weeks, so we've got plenty of time. And I'll check in with you guys in a couple of days, OK? Take care. Bye.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cam - Fürchte die Dunkelheit (2010) (V)

Soundtrack:

Jesus Promised Me A Home Over There

Only thing it has in common with a certain shark movie is the color of the water

Open Water has gotten a bum-rep with horror fans because either they were expecting a Jaws-esque type film or they wanted it to be something it never set itself out to be. This is a very crafty thriller combined of evocative shots of water, intensity coming from every conceivable angle, and two innocent characters we can't help but feel sympathetic for. This has all the key ingredients for a film like this, but still, some inevitable problems come into play.

The story is loosely based off of a true story that happened in 1998 where an American couple named Tom and Eileen Lonergan went out on a scuba-diving trip and were accidentally abandoned at sea. They were never found, but a diver's slate and their scuba gear was later recovered. To this day we don't know what happened, but we can assume they drowned or something of that nature.

The characters are Susan and Daniel (Ryan and Travis), an couple who is frustrated with their hectic lives that makes it so they can not spend quality time together. They plan a scuba diving trip, and take the vacation as a means of relaxation. While diving one day, the boat leaves due to a failed head-count. Susan and Daniel are now trapped in the middle of the ocean, with no land in sight and an occasional boat just to tease them.

In terms of the premise, it's simple and effective. But what really works is the screenplay. When movie characters are frustrated, what do they usually do? Curse, right? Same goes for some real-life people too. It's become a common standard to we swear when agitated or pushed to our personal limit. The film manages to capture the fear and helplessness in Susan and Daniel's eyes without having them utter any obscenities in a redundant and uncontrollable manner.

Even with its low budget, Open Water manages to pull through effectively proving that independent films are like the quiet kid in school who never fights. He packs more of a punch when brought into the spotlight, and that's how a lot of independent films are today. Just by watching the first few minutes of Open Water, you can tell immediately that the film isn't of a Hollywood breed and simply works off of what it has.

Inevitably, some problems come into play, like I mentioned before. For one, the setting is blunt and realistic, but droning after a while. With claustrophobic movies, especially like this one, you need to rely on the screenplay to prevent the setting from growing old too fast. That is one of the greatest challenges in claustrophobic films; making due with what you have.

In Adam Green's Frozen, about three teenagers trapped on top of a ski-lift in the dead of winter, what kept the movie going was its setting, its characters, and the dialog they recited. It was believable and fearful. The dialog here is composed of arguments and random topics. We don't learn too much more about the characters other than they're stressed and they're in desperate need of a vacation.

What keeps the setting from getting old, up until the final twenty minutes of the film, are its uses of several different and effective shots. Different camera angles are used, plenty of variety to prevent repetition, and even some excellent underwater cinematography when the characters take their first dive below surface. I even appreciated some shots where the camera would bob up and down for a few seconds before dipping underwater.

Open Water is nice and concise at only a seventy-nine minute run time. Anymore, and this would likely breed a not-so-nice-rating. This isn't the best out of all the claustrophobic horror films, but it's definitely one of the most eerie. One chilling line that stayed with me was when Daniel screams out of anger that "we paid to do this." It's true. They had to pay to get left out in the middle of shark-infested water, dehydrated, starving, and alone. Almost sounds like the complaint of a smoker lying on a hospital bed.

Starring: Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis. Directed by: Chris Kentis.