Review: Breaking Surface

I talked about the great Swedish thriller Breaking Surface on the latest episode, but thought it'd be foolish to not post a few thoughts here, in case some of you only read the site, and don't listen to the show.

Shame on you if that is the case, by the way...

Breaking Surface is a real bundle of tension under writer/director Joachim Heden's taut direction. At not quite 90 minutes -- credits included -- there's not a moment wasted in this tale of two sisters who head out on a winter SCUBA dive and find their lives in peril when one becomes trapped on the lake bottom. It's a fantastic premise that Heden executes to perfection.

There's no monsters or need to suspend your disbelief; everything here is completely plausible from the rockslide that kicks everything off to the dangers the one sister faces in helping the other. And the sisters, who are well played by Moa Gammel and Madeleine Martin, are just as believable. No super heroics, just two competent divers in an extraordinary situation doing the best they can.

I used to be an avid SCUBA diver, and trust me, next to a shark attack, everything that happens in this movie is a diver's worst nightmare. Maybe it's my familiarity with the risks involved that added to my enjoyment of the movie? Not sure, but kudos regardless!

I can't praise this movie enough. It doesn't do anything new, but what it does, it does better than most. If you're in the mood for an exciting ride that doesn't even come close to overstaying its welcome, then give Breaking Surface a watch. It's a Good!

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