Starring Hiftu Quasem, Natalie Mitson, Nicole Rietsu Setsuko, Lauren Lyle, Ellouise Shakespeare-Hart and Gabriel Prevost-Takahashi

Directed by Hayley Easton Street

StudioCanal

 

One year ago, Meg (Hiftu Quasem) was attacked by a group of homophobic thugs. She broke up with her girlfriend Kayla (Natalie Mitson) afterwards. A year later, their friend Cam (Nicole Rietsu Setsuko) manipulates events at Lizzie (Lauren Lyle)’s wedding to bring them back together. Along with Ruth (Ellouise Shakespeare-Hart) they take a day at a local island. But when Ruth is attacked, the five women find themselves in open water surrounded by sharks and their own secrets…

Much like overlooked classic The Grey, this is a wild animal movie where the animals are a blood-stained lens to view the characters through. The sharks are barely on screen here but the promise, or threat, of them is constant and Hayley Easton Street does some really good work in showing just how isolated the characters are. Niels Reedz Johansen’s cinematography shifts gracefully between locked in close ups and the ocean dwarfing the dwindling number of survivors. The characters are in trouble, almost instantly, and the tension is constant as a result.

Cat Clarke’s script unpacks its secrets slowly and has some surprises in its second half. The premise may annoy you the same way The Descent’s ‘Let’s just go down this cave! And not tell anyone!’ opening did, but much like that movie, every mistake is paid for. Setsuko and Lyle especially have some interesting stuff to do. The former playing Cam as an over-achieving pseudo jock desperate for the approval of the parents who barely notice her. The latter playing Lizzie as a very funny, horribly under prepared bride to be with a core of steel. Shakespeare-Hart is great too as the designated adult of the group. No one gets an easy ride here, and the script’s teeth are all pearly white.

But this is Mitson and Quasem’s movie. Mitson’s fiery Kayla is smart, determined and likable. She’s also deeply impulsive and consumed with guilt. The movie’s best scenes are all between her and Quasam’s Meg and their relationship is the core of the movie, even if it’s in ruins before the credits. They have an easy, sweet chemistry together and that helps the scenes where they’re apart surprisingly well. You care. You worry. You scan the horizon for dorsal fins. Just like they do.

But the breakout here is Quasem. Meg is constantly terrified, constantly working and never backs down. She’s the exact sort of person you’d want to be trapped in the middle of the ocean with and her pragmatic compassion is impossible to not root for. She has great chemistry with Mitson and Lyle in particular and she’s the latest in a long proud line of heroines Thinking Very Hard out of terrible situations.

Verdict: If you’re looking for a shark fest, this isn’t it. But if you want a movie that does a lot with a tiny budget and anchors itself in five very strong performances, then don’t let this one drift by. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart