Loosely based on the 1998 case of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, who were left behind at the Great Barrier Reef while on an Australian diving vacation, "Open Water" is a mini-budget film that is quite entertaining, despite the many amateurish moments, which provide some unintended laughs. Writer/director/editor and cinematographer Chris Kentis managed to make this film on an amazingly low $ 130,000 (the sharks worked for tuna), and mostly we are just watching the 2 actors (Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis) as they bob about in the waves, trying to mentally and physically survive their horrendous predicament, and go through the predictable psychological changes ("the blame game," etc).



The location has been changed from Australia to a Caribbean paradise, and has some underwater shots with colorful fish at the start of the film, before they are left to fend off the sharks and the jellyfish. I have often thought of the Lonergan case, thinking it one of the most terrifying scenarios anyone could go through, and Kentis has captured some of what they are presumed to have experienced. The ending is what makes me like this film, as it doesn't go "Hollywood" on its audience, and manages to combine the horror of the situation with some dark humor. The camerawork is often jumpy, the script sometimes lame, and acting at times unconvincing, but if the Australian tragedy fascinated you, this take on it will hold your interest, and I'm adding an extra star for the final 10 minutes of the film.