It is reasonable to feel as if we have gotten all that we need out of survival thrillers. That is, until you discover another great one. The new Swedish and Norwegian underwater entry into the genre Breaking Surface from writer/director Joachim Hedén marks a deftly executed, stressful tale that hits the ground running and rarely takes a moment to stop. In a prologue we quickly establish the adult dynamics of sisters Ida (Moa Gammel) and Tuva (Madeleine Martin); as children the two are seen diving off the dock of their home until Tuva takes too long to surface and Ida struggles to save her. While the younger Tuva does survive, Ida is saddled with the guilt of almost letting her sister die which is compounded by her mother Anne (Trine Wiggen) reminding her of the same. As we arrive to the present day we get the necessary expository updates to the sisters that register as occasionally clunky but not altogether a dealbreaker in this otherwise tightly-scripted narrative.
In addition to the occasional nightmare about her sister, Ida is going through a rocky time at home with the potential of divorce looming if therapy doesn’t work out, which her mother needles her about effectively. She sets off on a trip home to go on a winter diving trip after Christmas with Tuva and her mother. Tuva has grown up to be an accomplished diver who can more than hold her own in most situations. An early scene in which she is tasked with untangling a cargo ship’s propeller simultaneously shows her tough-as-nails demeanor as well as delivers a jolt of the thrills to come. The character dynamics are underlined early on enough to make you invested in what is to come later, but not so much as you feel beaten over the head. A convenient illness for Anne means that the sisters set out on their underwater adventure just the two of them. While the dive starts out relatively calmly despite some minor bickering, an unexpected rock slide leads to Tuva being pinned under a rock with only the less experienced Ida around to follow her instructions to possibly free her before her air runs out.
This simple set up provides a pulse-pounding race against the clock that leads to one obstacle after another. It is almost exhausting how many things go wrong for the sisters during their struggle to survive, but nothing ever truly feels out of the realm of possibility thanks to the careful plotting that is done early in the film that has dire consequences later on. There are moments that feel a bit too orchestrated and the decisions on the part of Ida can be a bit suspect, but much of the latter can be attributed to the disorienting nature of her predicament. There is also the added layer of harm from the effects of Ida diving back and forth between the floor where her Tuva is and the surface where she might be able to find help. The loss of precious minutes of oxygen is significant enough, but Ida also faces the bends from surfacing too quickly too many different times which puts her own life at risk. The momentum is kept up due to how the two must work together and tackle each challenge as they are faced with it.
Gammel and Martin are both quite great as our leads, with Gammel especially shining due to the greater acting challenge. Hedén has done an amazing job of making this studio-built set never feel less than genuine with the lush cinematography accentuated with subtle digital effects – only a couple of which look a bit less than perfect. The saving grace of a film such as this is the mercifully short runtime that clocks in at less than 80 minutes before the credits start rolling. While many movies of this sort would venture to throw in a pesky shark or other such extra danger, Breaking Surface relies solely on the central obstacle and the ingenuity needed to overcome it. A word of warning should be given to animal lovers that there are dogs in this film that are woven into the plot, and the ending is not always pretty. Otherwise, this is a crackling little adventure tale that succeeds in getting you emotionally invested in the rescue that delivers nearly nonstop thrills until the very end.
Video Quality
The film debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in its original aspect ratio that mostly captures the film really well. The movie itself has a very cool color palette which matches the setting, and there is a great amount of detail and clarity within every frame. The sight of the stark white snow provides some impressive moments that leap off the screen with no blooming to be found. There is slight loss of detail in fast panning shots underwater, but it is not pervasive throughout. For a movie that relies on darkness to build tension, it is important to have deep black levels, which this thankfully does. There are a few instances of banding against the vast underwater expanse that stand out. Objects hold up pretty well in the shadows and retain their depth. There is no damage or digital noise detectable in this transfer. There are not very many moments that are going to jump off the screen, but this is a solid video presentation overall.
Audio Quality
Breaking Surface comes to Blu-Ray with both a commendable DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track in the original Swedish and Norwegian with optional English subtitles. Even without persistent action set pieces, the movie is very active thanks to the thrill of the situation and the music that accompanies it throughout. The environmental sounds provide a very immersive atmosphere for the story that is handled well here. The low end of the track is especially active during the tense underwater moments with a bit of wall shaking happening. The dialogue and sound effects are appropriately balanced with the score where nothing gets lost in the track. Surround channels get some nice activity throughout the entire runtime from quieter nature moments to the more frantic times with panning effects. This track is quite powerful, and will be appreciated by fans who pick up this disc.
Special Features
- Making Breaking Surface: A three-minute featurette with the two lead actresses in which they discuss the process of getting physically ready for the film, along with various members of the crew who discuss the logistics and challenges of shooting underwater and ensuring everyone is safe.
- 5 Questions with Dive Coordinator Ian Creed: A minute-long piece in which Creed poses questions about diving that the two lead actresses attempt to answer with mixed results. This is a fun, quick one.
- Underwater Set Construction Timelapse: A minute-and-a-half long video that shows the crew constructing the set. It is always amazing to see the artistry that goes into building something such as this.
- Shooting The Propeller Scene: A minute-long video which shows how they created the look of a very intense early scene in the film.
- Lights, Camera, Brussels Sprouts: A 40-second featurette which shows how they created the hazy look of the water.
- VFX Reel: A nearly three-minute look at some of the various visual effects shots throughout the film as layers of effects are added and subtracted.
- Theatrical Trailer: A minute-and-a-half long trailer for the film is provided.
- TV Spots: A minute-and-a-half long collection of TV Spots are provided here.
- Image Gallery: A collection of stills from the film are provided here.
Final Thoughts
Breaking Surface is a nerve-wracking endeavor that mostly balances the need to create drama with normal human behavior well. There is always going to be an element of manufactured drama in these types of films, but the script does a decent job of laying the groundwork for certain developments long before they happen. The performances from our incredible two leads are strong enough to make you forgive any of the more clunky elements. Music Box Home Entertainment and Doppelgänger Releasing have provided the film with a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and a decent assortment of brief supplemental features. If you are in need of some decent thrills, this import should do the trick. Recommended
Breaking Surface is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Music Box Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
