From the moment it starts, Breaking Surface gets its hooks into you and does not let you go. It is a thriller about two sisters who go diving in a remote area and encounter trouble almost immediately when a rock slide traps one of them at the bottom. With no help coming, they must find their own way out of their predicament.
There is an eerie tranquility to the landscape, which is established in the opening shot, and which will work in great contrast to the urgency and distress the women will experience there. After that opening shot of the cold, blue land and water, the film takes us to an earlier time. A dog barks on the dock, facing the water, where a young girl suddenly surfaces, shouting for her mother. Her sister has nearly drowned, and in the horror of the moment, her mother tells the girl that if her sister dies it will be her fault. Not something a person is likely to forget. And Ida (Moa Gammel Ginsburg) has not forgotten that moment. We sense that as we see her now as an adult looking in on own children before she leaves for a dive with her sister, who obviously did not die back then, and mother. Her sister, Tuva (Madeleine Martin), meanwhile has another brush with death as she tries to clear ropes from the propeller of a ship. Something goes wrong, and the engine is turned on. Tuva manages to free herself, and though she was in terrible peril, the film is just beginning, and we know she will soon be in a tougher spot.
There is a quiet intensity to the film’s early scenes with Ida, Tuva and their mother, and we get little hints of trouble, as with Ida’s marriage, as well as with the mother’s health. A heavy cough will keep her from joining the sisters on their dive, but there is also talk of pills which might be more about her mental health. And we get the sense that the three of them are not together very often. All of this contributes to the sisters’ psychological state going into their day. And even before things go wrong, there is a strong sense of claustrophobia as they make their way through a narrow underwater tunnel, which is enough to freak out many of us. Then once Tuva gets trapped, the film is about Ida’s race to rescue her, and we see both her strengths and weaknesses come into play as she frantically tries to save her sister. We feel like we’re right there with Ida, and her fears and frustrations become our own. This film is an intense and emotionally engaging ride.
Special Features
The Blu-ray contains some bonus material, including a behind-the-scenes featurette that contains interviews with both lead actors, who talk about working under water, and interviews with the diving coordinator and the underwater cinematographer. This featurette includes footage of the water stage in Belgium where much of the action was shot.
There is also a short bit with the diving coordinator asking questions regarding diving, which the two lead actors then answer. Also included in the bonus material is footage of the underwater set being constructed, as well a short bit on the propeller scene. Lights, Camera, Brussels Sprouts is about the film’s use of sprouts to make the set feel more like the ocean. A VFX reel, the film’s trailer, two television spots and an image gallery are also included.
Breaking Surface was directed by Joachim Hedén, and is scheduled to be released on Blu-ray on February 16, 2021 through Dopplegänger Releasing, part of Music Box Films. The film is presented in its original Swedish and Norwegian, with optional English subtitles.
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