Maximilian Erlenwein’s “The Dive” is probably one of the most stressful movies of the year. In a time where deep dive survival movies have practically become their own sub-genre, “The Dive” is one of the better of the ilk to come along in a while. Erlenwein’s movie is a simple and straight forward survival thriller, but it’s one that depends a lot on triggering the audience’s personal phobias. Anyone with thalassophobia, claustrophobia, or taphophobia will find “The Dive” to be an endurance test of the highest order, and that’s why it works so well.
A deep-sea diving trip at one of the world’s most remote spots becomes a fight for survival for sisters Drew and May when a catastrophic landslide sends rocks tumbling into the sea. After being struck by the rock fall, May now lies 28 meters below the surface, trapped by debris and unable to move. With dangerously low levels of oxygen, it is up to Drew to fight for her sister’s life. She must put her own life in jeopardy and risk paying the ultimate sacrifice. But with no help in sight, time is quickly running out…
Although “The Dive” doesn’t have a ton of narrative it works in tapping in to the inherent fears of the audience. The deep sea diving trek is beautiful but quickly becomes a death trap as everything the pair of sisters find wonder in becomes an almost instant device for their doom. Erlenwein allows “The Dive” to revel in the simplicity, making it a quietly haunting film that gets so much more urgent as the time wears on. Sister Drew, who is somewhat flighty and flaky, is tasked with saving her sister as best as she can, and as time runs out her circumstances become so much more horrifying. With only a small window to save May, Drew has to literally work alone and against the clock, but with May pinned beneath a huge rock, their calamity becomes so much direr.
“The Dive” works in making us feel every single minute that passes, and the movie works in real time in where every single moment means potential death for May. While the movie is essentially a survival thriller it also successfully deals in the idea of childhood trauma and unresolved issues that these two sisters are forced to work through. This ordeal forces them to trust in one another, which is a task considering when we first meet them they don’t quite see each other as worthwhile partners. “The Dive” garners only a cast of Louisa Krause and Sophie Lowe, and they do a bang up job of carrying the film.
They not only work well off of each other, but their moments when they’re on screen alone are compelling and gut wrenching. This is especially true in Drew’s efforts to gather supplies for May’s rescue, and slowly coming to the realization that things might just be getting worse. “The Dive” is a stripped down, simple survival thriller, but a powerful one that definitely amps up the audience’s anxiety and terror. It’s definitely one of the best I’ve seen in a long time.
Premiering in Theaters on August 25th.