A yuppie couple (Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis) goes on vacation to the Caribbean. The two are overworked, and looking forward to some scuba diving. But due to a faulty head count, the couple is left behind in the middle of the open sea. They find themselves drifting endlessly for hours on end, facing dehydration, jellyfish stings, saltwater sickness, and hungry sharks. That’s the premise of ''Open Water'', a low-budget thriller directed by Chris Kentis, and based on a true story. As they gradually realize the seriousness of their predicament, the couple goes through a gamut of the various emotional reactions. They scream, despair, freak out, and even joke (usually sarcastically). The film is structured in such a way that the situation doesn’t seem tragic at first, but then slowly deteriorates. As the day passes, they see more and more splashing around them. Dorsal fins slice quickly through the water. They can only see what’s on the surface, so when a fish bumps against their legs, their panic seems real. It’s terrifying because we can only guess what’s going on near their feet. It's far more scary to imagine what could be happening underwater than actually seeing it.
