PIGEON SHRINE FRIGHTFEST 2023 – Film Review

This ruthlessly tense aquatic survival picture is superbly crafted to create oceans of underwater unease.

Sisters Drew and May meet up for a day of deep-sea diving in delightful isolation. However, when May becomes hopelessly pinned by a freak rockslide Drew must draw on all her training, experience, and rabid determination to rescue her squished sibling.

Maximilian Erlenwein‘s ergonomic seascape escape picture is an English-speaking reimagining of the 2020 Swedish thriller Breaking Surface. This fresh treatment relocates the stress into warmer waters and showcases a tighter focus on the dynamic between the two sisters. The more idyllic setting is a winning juxtaposition against the terrifying premise and the sharpening of the character’s backstory and interactions fosters greater empathy and a heightened sense of jeopardy.

It should be noted that both films share the same screenplay writer in Joachim Hedén, who also directed the original so these diversions might be regarded as what he envisaged as improvements.

Once May is immobilised 28 meters down the movie becomes a fevered exercise in crisis management and a balls-to-the-wall race against ever-draining air supplies. It is here that the film’s core themes of remaining calm, not overthinking, and icy solidarity emerge. They are the rock-solid building blocks The Dive uses to construct believability and audience engagement. We want these plucky women to pull through, partly because they demonstrably care for each other, but mostly because they deserve to.

Sibling relationships are complex and often subject to rivalry, jealousy, and painful historical baggage. Drew and May are no exception and this humanises their predicament and enlightens their responses. Subsequently, when the film executes its neat twist it hits home much harder.

The ticking clock and intense peril are the nature of the beast stars of the movie. That being said, the performances of the leads are what enable them to shine. Sophie Lowe and Louisa Krause play May and Drew respectively and neither neglects for a moment they are portraying extremely experienced divers who are hard-wired to do anything other than panic. Both of them channel this steely pragmatism perfectly and The Dive is a richer experience for their grasp of tone.

The editing courtesy of Philipp Thomas is taut and tricksy. He knows the value of time management, stress resets, and even onscreen countdowns. As a result, the pacing of the film is well realised with woozy, half-glimpsed flashbacks providing both essential exposition and much-needed relief pockets from the escalating anxiety.

The Dive is just the kind of film that makes you thankful for the safety of your loved ones and the coziness of your surroundings. It also acts as a reminder that whilst indulging in thrilling pursuits can be empowering, they can also leave you helpless in a claustrophobic living hell. Trust me, hydrophobes need to give this one a hard pass.

Cinematic yet intimate, familiar yet frightening this lethal thriller of finite margins leaves viewers more breathless and panicked than the resourceful sisters at the epicenter of its diving nightmare.

It’s an endurance test for the nerves well worth seeking out.