Short, sweet, to the point, & stress inducing suspenseful survival drama about sisters trying to mend their broken relationship.
The movie doesn't waste much time getting us to the disaster that sets the story in motion. There's very little backstories or time invested in unnecesary subplots. That doesn't mean we don't get to root for these two sisters. We get to know them by the actions they both take to try and stay alive. Moa Gammel plays a married woman who's still traumatized by a small incident where her younger sister almost drowned and her mother blamed her for the accident. Madeleine Martin is the more adventurous one who wants to connect with her older sister after being apart for so long.
Once the events are set in motion these two sisters have to do whatever they can to survive in deep freezing water. What follows is an very intense and sometimes emotional journey. I've always been fond of these type of tales. I like seeing what people do in situations that are beyond terrifying. The realistic approach is something this genre usually lacks. Most movies are usually over-the-top and come across as silly. Breaking Surface reminded me of two movies from Norway called "The Wave" & "The Quake" in their approach. Those two are grand in scale compared to this one but still as effective.
The running time is barely over an hour and 15 minutes. Which is perfect for me because it doesn't overstay its welcome and I usually hate overly long movies like fucking "Avatar". Another detail that impressed me is the soundtrack which is rather beautiful. Usually these type of movies have very basic scores.
This is for me one of the best movies I've seen this year. Will have you holding your breath and rooting for the characters. The locations couldn't be more gorgeous. I always enjoy a good movie set in snow. Paves the way for some breathtaking atmosphere and scenary. The underwater scenes (which is most than 70%) are well shot and they really took advantage of the situation.
For someone who's afraid of the ocean, this film is truly scary.
Watch the trailer:
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