It’s not very often things just arrive on your doorstep, but in the case of Breaking Surface, the Blu-ray from Music Box Films and Doppelgänger Releasing (available February 16) did exactly that. I had just recently been made aware of the film and was extremely interested, and it’s almost as if someone read my mind. I didn’t waste any time diving in (no pun intended) and much to my surprise, I was blown away by this thriller.
Ida (Moa Gammel) has arrived back in town to spend time with her half-sister Tova (Madeleine Martin) and mother Anne (Trine Wiggen). Once reunited, they waste no time drudging up the past, including the responsibility that was forced on Ida as a child and her failing marriage, amongst other things. The next day, the three women are supposed to go for a dive, but Anne proves to be too sick to come along. The sisters go without her and everything is fine until Tova ends up trapped under a rock at the bottom of the ocean. It’s a race against time when Ida has to find a way to save Tova before her air supply runs out.
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The premise is so simple, but the film is masterfully crafted by writer/director Joachim Hedėn to feel as if it’s something that could really happen. It would have been easy to throw in a shark or other sea creature, but realism was chosen and all the obstacles that the sisters face are all relatively realistic. At a very trim 82min, Breaking Surface whips right along while taking a grip on you, pulling you ever so delicately to the edge of your seat.
I’m sure most can figure out where the film is going, but there are plenty of twists to hold your attention. What really drives the picture is the relationship between Tova and Ida. There’s tension between them but in the face of great danger, can they put them aside to overcome the situation? It’s the question that, on some level, drives the film. The performances by Gammel and Martin are award-worthy, especially Gammel. Her pain and frustration are expertly conveyed in a performance I’ll be thinking about for quite some time.
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Breaking Surface isn’t exactly horror, but the horror of the situation is very real. Maybe it resonated a bit more with me due to my very real fear of water, the ocean, creatures of the sea, and drowning. The movie is just another reason why I’ll never step foot in the water, but admire it from afar. Hedėn is a filmmaker to keep an eye on, a master at building suspense. While it’s currently available to buy or rent on Music Box Direct, the disc (with a decent amount of highly entertaining bonus features) will release on February 16, 2021.
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