I'll Pass on the Scuba Diving, Thanks

Last night I saw Open Water with S and our friend M, whom I will call WYD for "Who's Your Daddy?" (That's what it said in fuzzy brown letters on his tee-shirt, hee. Plus, he's going to be a first-time dad---woo!---next month.)

So, have you seen Open Water? The shoestring-budget Sundance winner that's now in limited release in major theaters across the country? (In case you haven't, here's a link to its Rotten Tomatoes page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/open_water/.) It's an independent film made inexpensively with unknown actors, a haunting score (to use a tired but accurate cliché), and plenty of lingering, mood-building, wide-angle ocean and sky shots. It's not, as the trailers suggest, a Jaws-type movie, although sharks do play a prominent role. It's not really a survival movie, either. It's more of a look at what happens to a relationship under extreme, nearly hopeless conditions. Except that it's a pretty superficial look at that relationship, which was my only complaint coming out of the thing. The screenwriter thought a little bit about how a couple stranded in the middle of a vast, threatening ocean might behave and interact with each other, but I think he could have given those things even more thought. We get glimpses and snippets of how they're first in denial, then a bit alarmed, then accusatory, then angry, then reconciliatory, then hopeful, then desperate, then resigned to their respective fates. I liked that progression, and I imagine it's fairly accurate. But I wish the writer and actors had explored it further. For instance, there didn't seem to be enough demonstration of sheer panic by these two, considering the dire situation. And we only saw one moment during which they tried to amuse themselves to pass the time---the scene in which they played Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, which was a warm, touching, bittersweet moment. (Bittersweet in that they're giving themselves a laugh during what are surely the most horrible hours of their lives.)

Regardless, I liked the film. I like stories that beg the question, "How would I fare in this situation?" Except that, in the event that I find myself stranded in the middle of shark-infested waters, miles from shore, with nothing but a wetsuit on my back and a cumbersome oxygen tank strapped to my shoulders, I fear I'll not fare well. It's not like being stranded on a deserted island with only a volleyball for company (ahhh...good ol' Wilson!), where you can at least build shelter and forage for food and rub a couple of sticks together in an attempt to make fire. Watching Open Water, one quickly realizes that two scuba divers left at sea are in what is essentially a hopeless situation. They could be the smartest, most resourceful people in the world, but it doesn't matter. If the sharks don't get them, the dehydration, starvation, or hypothermia will.

I'm quite afraid of situations that seem destined for disaster, over which I have no control. Extreme turbulence on a plane, for instance, really takes a toll on me. I can't help but think that very dramatic, nausea-inducing turbulence signals a problem, and that in the event that the plane stops functioning correctly, we passengers are utterly doomed. When the plane loses an engine and goes plummeting down to Earth, there really isn't a damn thing any of us can do about it---even the smartest among us---and death is inescapable. I prefer a disaster that offers even the slightest, slimmest chance of individual survival. A big earthquake, say. Or a hurricane. Even being abandoned deep in the woods somewhere, in the dark, with a hungry bear hot on my heels. At least I'd have the opportunity to strategize and possibly survive using my wits.

Also, I wondered during the movie about S and me and how our relationship would hold up under extreme duress. Not well, I'm afraid. We've both been known to freak out in stressful situations: kicking and swearing (S), crying and screaming (me). Were we stuck in the middle of the Pacific feeling helpless and pretty sure we were going to die, I imagine we'd each mentally deteriorate very quickly. And previous experience tells me we'd go through our share of finger-pointing before finally clinging to each other and declaring our never-ending love as the sharks close in.

Note: I think I've got this thing set up now so that anyone (not just Blogger members) can post comments. Will someone give it a try? Thanks!