Open Water (2003)

72% of critics liked it
(190 reviews)
31% of users liked it
(53,043 ratings)

Independent filmmaker Chris Kentis directs the dramatic thriller Open Water, based on a true story. Susan (Blanchard Ryan) and Daniel (Daniel Travis) are a busy married couple on an island vacation. They board a vessel called the Reef Explorer with a group of other scuba divers, traveling 15 miles… More Independent filmmaker Chris Kentis directs the dramatic thriller Open Water, based on a true story. Susan (Blanchard Ryan) and Daniel (Daniel Travis) are a busy married couple on an island vacation. They board a vessel called the Reef Explorer with a group of other scuba divers, traveling 15 miles out to sea. Since they are certified to dive in open waters, the couple breaks off from the group to go exploring. The Reef Explorer accidentally leaves without a proper head count, leaving them stranded in shark-infested waters. Kentis and producer wife Laura Lau did all the filming themselves in the actual ocean without extraneous special effects, while the actors wore special steel-mesh under their wetsuits in the scenes where actual sharks were involved. Open Water was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 as part of the American Spectrum competition. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 19 min.
Directed By: Chris Kentis
Written By: Chris Kentis
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Aug 20, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Dec 28, 2004
Studio: Lions Gate Films

Critic Reviews

Peter Howell, Toronto Star
There are no Hollywood heroes in these waters, only two regular people ... plus you and me, huddling in the dark.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
An unnerving 'What if?' scenario that you won't be able to shake -- from either your dreams or your waking thoughts.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Sharks are nature's most efficient killing machines. Open Water, which co-stars sharks, is the summer cinema's most efficient scaring machine.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
Considered in its ham-handed entirety, Open Water feels more of an exercise in cinematic sadism.
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
Terrifying precisely because it doesn't go in for cheesy shock tactics and special effects.
(CNN.com) Paul Clinton, CNN.com
The unforgiving power of nature are all on display to amazing, and frightening, effect.
Beth Pratt, Common Sense Media
Intense relationship story isn't for kids.
Stefan Ulstein, Christianity Today
Kentis and Lau have labored to make an almost documentary-style film. It's meant to make us feel like we are really there, and to a large extent it succeeds.
Douglas Pratt, Movie City News
The narrative is too inevitable and unrelenting to really entertain a viewer, but there is that image of the man and the woman, together, alone and adrift, which communicates a very powerful and even mythic portrait of the human experience
Johnny Butane, Dread Central
The effect of watching it at home, with the surround sound cranked in a darkened room, only helped convey the sense of isolation the film strives for.
Christopher Smith, Bangor Daily News (Maine)
"Open Water" works on many levels, chief among them as an examination of isolation, worry, terror, and the dread that can accompany the unknown.
Bill Clark, FromTheBalcony
Open Water depends on the audience to be able to vicariously place themselves in the situation at hand, and if you can do that, you're in for a nerve-frying treat.
Enrique Buchichio, Uruguay Total
Lo mismo ya lo dijo, mucho mejor, Steven Spielberg hace 30 años.
Jorge Avila Andrade, Moviola
'Creatividad y un guión inteligente reemplazan la falta de presupuesto para crear un producto de buena calidad'
Brian Juergens, Freeze Dried Movies
A horrifying meditation on how contentment can lull us into complacency, detachment, and ultimately, absolute isolation.
Mark R. Leeper, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Low-budget and sparse, but very effective.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Ken S

A really interesting concept that's HORRIBLY executed. There's no plot. Only a lot of bickering, the occasional scream, and a situation that runs out of gas about half way through the film. Thank god they all died.
Mike S

How unsettling of a thought that this has all happened for real. I can't imagine a situation more terrifying than being alone and helpless in shark-infested waters. Filming it with handheld cameras, using only unknown actors, added even more to the realism. Most of the suspense… More
How unsettling of a thought that this has all happened for real. I can't imagine a situation more terrifying than being alone and helpless in shark-infested waters. Filming it with handheld cameras, using only unknown actors, added even more to the realism. Most of the suspense doesn't kick in until in the second half, but once it gets there, it's a non-stop sensation of dread and high anxiety. Because where Jaws was just fiction, the events behind this movie are anything but.
Lorenzo v

"Other people go on vacation and spend their days just laying around. We have a story we're going to be telling for the rest of our lives." Based on the true story of two scuba divers accidentally stranded in shark infested waters after their tour… More
"Other people go on vacation and spend their days just laying around. We have a story we're going to be telling for the rest of our lives." Based on the true story of two scuba divers accidentally stranded in shark infested waters after their tour boat has left. <center>REVIEW</center> Very scary stuff with sharks - Open Water is a lot more subtle than Jaws, made on a fraction of the budget, and refreshing in its demonstration of how basic, realistic film-making can have the power to make us squirm in our seats when done well. A jet-setting American couple take time off their jobs to take a holiday break that includes a bit of diving. The boat has twenty people - the captain crosses people off as they come back on board so he knows everyone is safely back. The style has an almost documentary feel to it (not surprisingly it is based on the true story of two scuba divers who got stranded when their boat accidentally left). So it seems entirely plausible when he counts off twenty people and returns to shore - overlooking the fact that one person went diving twice, the second time with someone who had forgotten their mask and borrowed one when the other divers were back. Simple miscalculation. The ensuing nightmare of Susan and Daniel, the two stranded divers, goes from relaxed belief that they will be picked up soon when the mistake is noticed, to domestic squabbles over who's 'fault' it was, to brave concern, to outright terror. The film is genuinely terrifying - there are no special effects, just superb film-making. Don't go and see Open Water if you are about to go on a scuba diving holiday - it may make you cancel the trip.
Dan S

A well-acted, expertly shot drama concerning a busy couple (Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis) who elect to take a vacation south of the border in hopes of growing closer together. However, after the ship that takes them scuba diving leaves them behind by accident, they are forced to… More
A well-acted, expertly shot drama concerning a busy couple (Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis) who elect to take a vacation south of the border in hopes of growing closer together. However, after the ship that takes them scuba diving leaves them behind by accident, they are forced to survive in the open sea while having no food, water, and also being surrounded by a variety of annoying sea creatures - including menacing sharks who make their presence known. The severe backlash that hit this movie is just absurd - if you really think this is a "boring, stupid movie about two people bobbing around in the water", then I feel bad for you. It's no masterpiece, and it does have its severe flaws (seen while the credits are rolling - actually), but this is one taut, suspenseful, visceral experience that won't leave you quickly, with a shocking finale that fits the mood of the film very well.
EightThirty .

23/08/2010 (TELEVISION) A little hard to get into for me but I like to challenge my preferences and either be surprised ...or pissed off. It definitely was a watchable flick and I didn't hate it and it's not til a little half way through the movie that you realize how… More
23/08/2010 (TELEVISION) A little hard to get into for me but I like to challenge my preferences and either be surprised ...or pissed off. It definitely was a watchable flick and I didn't hate it and it's not til a little half way through the movie that you realize how scary this is. I must admit i was about to change the channel cause it was boring for me at first and I wasn't sure how this story is going to knock my sock off. I mean, floating in the sea throughout the movie seems a little bit of a boring watch. As it turned out, I was interested enough to want to know what would happen next. This is definitely a psychological thriller that when you get the sense of "what if this was you?" It's pretty freaky. Stuck in the middle of the ocean, no land in sight and sharks swimming around you all.. day... long... What. To. Do.
Chris W

Very similar in a lot of ways to films like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, but doesn't quite hit the mark where those two do. This film is creating about creating a sense of dread, atmosphere, and realism, and, while the tension rises, ther is no real payoff,… More
Very similar in a lot of ways to films like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, but doesn't quite hit the mark where those two do. This film is creating about creating a sense of dread, atmosphere, and realism, and, while the tension rises, ther is no real payoff, and no scares are delivered. Still though, this is a creepy film, and the way it ends is at least pretty realistic. I still give it praise since it was shot on a low budget, is an independent production, and shows how a simple idea (and a great setting) can get under your skin and successfully freak people out, even if the end result is underwhelming. Rarely do I ever consider nudity pointless in a movie, but there seemed to be no real reason for it here. Blanchard Ryan is nice, but her nude scene just seemed kind of random. Okay, that is all. If you like micro-budget indie films that rely more on tension atmosphere, and realism than gore and violence, then you'll probably find something to enjoy about this;if not, I'd skip it.
Film C

ooo so boringgg!! i emphazie on the sooo boring!! there is nothing entertaining on watching a couple stranded in the sea that is shark infested and then the ending is just as stupid as the rest of the movie!! i wouldnt recommend this movie to anyone!!
Tim S

What a piece of crap.
Wahida K

It surely scared my socks off.
Anthony L

I like it, it?s like a Dogma version of jaws!
Gordon A

Functional deep water thriller which at least has the courage to go with a realistic ending
xGary X

A young couple are left behind when they go scuba diving. Errrrm....that's it. Essentially, this film begins with half an hour of holiday home movie, and then consists of watching two yuppies bob around in the water. Sounds thrilling doesn't it? But to be honest, it's… More
A young couple are left behind when they go scuba diving. Errrrm....that's it. Essentially, this film begins with half an hour of holiday home movie, and then consists of watching two yuppies bob around in the water. Sounds thrilling doesn't it? But to be honest, it's not quite as boring as it sounds. It manages to tap into quite a primeval and universal fear; being lost in a hostile environment with an unseen enemy stalking you is a staple of the horror genre. It did actually make me jump a couple of times, as you see menacing shapes lurking beneath the waves, and the strobe effect of the lightning during the storm was actually very effective. Unfortunately much of what this film was trying to achieve could've been done in half the time, and there's a lot of teary, whiny padding. It's worth seeing once for the good bits, but that's all.
Wildaly M

I thought it was really great. Certainly different from your usual movie and it certainly was a fresher and original than most thrillers out there.
Nani V

I got a headache watching this film.
Red L

A scary low-budget movie
Candy R

True story about a couple who get left behind on a diving trip to face the open water.
Jason S

It was retty creepy and the fact that we didn't really know what was under the water made it better. You feel pretty alone with these people.
Aaron N

Susan: Daniel, where's the boat? Daniel: That's a good question. It has a premise that could make anyone interested, and could possibly scare, but it just isn't done well, it follows Blair Witch in having the indpendent film/handheld camera approach, but I just… More
Susan: Daniel, where's the boat? Daniel: That's a good question. It has a premise that could make anyone interested, and could possibly scare, but it just isn't done well, it follows Blair Witch in having the indpendent film/handheld camera approach, but I just didn't care. The characters were lame and nothing really mattered to me. There were neat camera shots at the end involving the sharks, but this was mainly two people sitting in the water for a little over an hour.
Dean !

Supposedly based on a true stroy, only a tiny bit can be from what happens. Even at 80mins this seems quite long and boring. Has a raw feel to it, filmed with hand held cams to be more realistic. By the end you'll be glad it's over. Not everyone's type of film.
Michael G

Bring a pillow if you have to see it.