"What makes Open Water an exemplary thriller is that it’s rooted in humanity." Mike McGranaghan AISLE SEAT "The actors: particularly Ryan, who takes command of the screen; and Kentis conspire to tie the audience's nerves into knots." Sean Means SALT LAKE TRIBUNE "An ingenious triumph of imagination over budget." Maitland McDonagh TV GUIDE'S MOVIE GUIDE "It's a very pure, basic kind of terror, nail-bitingly fun to watch; made more so by the startling realism of the sharks." Moira MacDonald SEATTLE TIMES "Genuinely frightening and tightly constructed thriller, which holds you till the final frame." Timothy Knight REEL.COM

"I came out of this movie in shock. With a minimum or lack of special effects it managed to scare the heck out of me." Vince Koehler ENTERTAINMENT SPECTRUM "There are no Hollywood heroes in these waters, only two regular people ... plus you and me, huddling in the dark." Peter Howell TORONTO STAR "A taut, riveting, uncommonly well-made film." Ann Hornaday WASHINGTON POST "It's a bone-chilling plunge into no-holds-barred storytelling." David Sterritt CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR "One of the most galvanizing and unforgettable films of the year." Rex Reed NEW YORK OBSERVER

At A Glance

"The unforgiving power of nature are all on display to amazing, and frightening, effect." Paul Clinton CNN

One important factor in whether you enjoy "Open Water" is your level of expectation. If you go into the theatre thinking you're about to witness a blockbuster production that will rival the legendary "Jaws", you will be sorely disappointed. I've made mention before of films that are down right enjoyable purely because the feel so 'ordinary'. By that I don't mean ordinary in the bad sense, what I refer to of course, is a film that is so close to real life, you accept without doubt, that what is happening on the screen mirrors real life. It's a unique feeling this sense of realism which firmly captures the mind. The nagging thought that this could happen to anyone. Be anyones life. It could even be mine. What makes "Open Water" so extraordinary is that it was put together over three years. No, not in one big hit but in between director, writer and editor Chris Kentis holding down a real job. And here's an even bigger surprise. It was all done with hand held digital cameras with a budget of just $US130,000. Taking those factors into account, "Open Water" can only be described as a brilliant effort and one to be soundly applauded. Another big plus that cannot be overlooked is the contribution of the cast. Two relatively unknown lead actors, Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis who "spent over 120 hours in the water twenty miles off shore amidst all kinds of sea life, including the real-life, honest to God sharks that give the film its chilling authenticity." That's right! No mechanical monsters were used in the filming of "Open Water". And don't you go thinking because they had wetsuits on that everything was warm and cozey. One can only spend so much time in the water before the cold starts to get a grip on you. Sure there are parts of the Caribbean that are warm, but not twenty miles offshore. That too is an important fact to remember. Once away from the mainland, this is truly "Open Water". Australian cinemagoers will be only too aware of the tragedy some three years ago when an American couple went missing in the waters of tropical Queensland, after being left behind by their dive boat. "Open Water" is based on this takes up that theme and endevours to bring to us the harrowing experience and how the hapless victims of this tragedy would have coped with the daunting task of surviving. "When I sat down to write the film, I wasn't interested in portraying the real people involved," Kentis explains. "I did no research on them. I didn't want to represent their relationship or their lives, out of respect for their privacy and because it was not pertinent to the story. We also wanted to leave the exact setting of our movie ambiguous, because we didn't want to lay that trip on anybody's tourist trade. What I was really interested in is the fact that this could and did happen, the terror of being alone at sea, what that was like, and I thought it was a great cautionary tale," he says, adding "We blunder off into an exotic locale, cement over the place and serve each other drinks. We go with arrogance into these places, forgetting we're also animals in the food chain." One important area Chris Kentis and his producer wife Laura Lau are familiar with is the sport of Scuba Diving. Actress Blanchard Ryan obviously found this a comforting factor during the filming of "Open Water". "Working with a couple, it made us feel better, because it was a risky film on many levels: the nudity, the sharks, being in the ocean, having to carry a film when you're two actors no one knows," she recalls. "We trusted them and knew they weren’t going to clash like other teams, and that was a comfortable feeling for us." Comfortable for them, but what about when it came to shooting the film?. How smoothly did things go? "Everything was very tightly scripted," says Lau. "The sky would change and we'd have to jump to another scene. By the end of the shoot we actually lost a few days to fantastic weather, clear blue skies, bright sunshine, as the conditions were just too pristine for the scenes that remained." And what about conditions like thunderstorms and the changing face of the seas? "Most of the time, Mother Nature was totally on our side," said Kentis. "For instance the day we had scheduled to shoot the jellyfish scene." The jellyfish just showed up,” recalls actor Daniel Travis. "And that's the only time during our whole shoot that we saw jellyfish," said Kentis. I had originally planned to go to a special location to find them for the underwater portion of the scene, but out of nowhere they came to us." The big question everyone wants answered though is if course, 'what about the sharks'. How did they get the star performers into the picture?. "We would throw bait in the water to get the sharks to move. But once too many pieces were in the water, the sharks would get really worked up, and then the actors would have to get out of the water," Kentis said. And how many sharks did they attract? Kentis says, "The sharks, mostly gray reef sharks with a few bull sharks averaging seven to eleven feet in length, numbered between 45 and 50." Safety was therefore high on the priority list? "Even though our budget was low, safety was paramount," Lau explains. "Not only did we get our actors 'open water' certified, but we bore the expense of shooting on location in the Bahamas, where the world's foremost experts on film production with sharks are located." And just to be on the safe side, "All of the emotional stuff, the screaming and splashing around, was done weeks later after we'd finished working with the sharks, as a safety precaution." How then, did the two stars handle the experience of being in the water, unprotected, with real life sharks? "Daniel was much less afraid of the sharks, but I was terrified," says actress Blanchard Ryan. "The first day we shot, Chris jumps in the water, Daniel jumps in the water, they're swimming around, the sharks are eating the tuna, and they’re not bothering them. I was thinking, 'I'm being a Nancy. I need to get in the water!’ But it was just terrifying." Travis says, "When they wanted the sharks to swim really close they would throw the chunks of tuna right next to us. I'd shout, 'A little close on that one! That's a little close!'" Remember what I said earlier? This isn't a "Jaws". There's no mechanical shark. This is the real deal. And thats the terrifying feeling I hope "Open Water" brings to you the viewer. What if it was me? How would I react? How long would I last? It's a chilling thought and one "Open Water" poses well. Meet The Filmmakers "Open Water" by writer/director/editor Chris Kentis is his second feature film. His first feature was "Grind" [1997] starring Billy Crudup, Adrienne Shelly, and Amanda Peet. Kentis is an award winning trailer and commercial film editor and a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts film program. Kentis’ wife, Laura Lau, produced and co-shot "Open Water". Similarly, Lau produced and co-wrote "Grind". She is a graduate of Columbia University. Kentis and Lau live and work in New York City. Meet The Lead Stars Blanchard Ryan
Born and raised in New England, Blanchard Ryan graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a BA in Political Philosophy. She began her career in commercials, while studying acting and improv in New York City. Prior to her role as Susan in OPEN WATER, Ryan also starred in several independent films including "My Sister's Wedding", "Remembering Sex" and "Exceed", and appeared in Fox Searchlight's "Broken Lizard's Super Troopers" and Kevin Smith's "Big Helium Dog". Ryan also appeared on HBO's "Sex and the City"
Daniel Travis
Grew up in Clarkston, Michigan and attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he completed his undergraduate studies in theater and received a BFA. He then attended The Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University where he received an MFA. Major theatre roles have consisted of John Buchanan in "Summer and Smoke", The Earl of Richmond in "Richard III" and Paul Bratter in "Barefoot In The Park". He has also been seen in "Sex and The City" as "Captain Crunch" and in "The Education of Max Bickford" with Richard Dreyfus. "Open Water" is Daniel's first feature length film. The Story

"Open Water may not be a pristine or complex suspense thriller, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anything else as terrifyingly potent in such a tiny package." Aaron Hillis PREMIERE MAGAZINE

Daniel and Susan need a vacation. The pressure of work is placing an enormous strain on their relationship. The perfect way to relax is a planned holiday on a tropical island where they can scuba dive the local reef. There trip turns into a nightmare when the dive operator makes an incorrect count and leaves the area thinking all divers are safely aboard the vessel. Oblivious to what has happened, Daniel and Susan surface to find themselves stranded in open water. In the distance there are other vessels but their waves and calling for help fails to attract them.They decide the wisest move is to stay where they are, after all, they will soon be missed. Surely the dive boat operators will realize their mistake and return for them. Their confidence is initially high, until the cold sets in, the hours pass by, and the sharks start circling. It's all a matter of remaining calm and holding on to the belief they will be rescued. But as night falls, doubts start to nag them. The Verdict "Remarkably well done considering the unbelievably small budget. The portrayal of Susan and Daniels predicament, the disintegration of their confidence, the many moods of the ocean, the relentlessly circling sharks takes the audience on a harrowing and chilling journey. "Open Water" is a fine example of 'indie' film making. The cast and crew deserve every accolade they receive. Highly Recommended." The Cast

Blanchard Ryan Daniel Travis Saul Stein Estelle Lau Michael E Williamson Cristina Zenarro John Charles

... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Susan Daniel Seth Estelle Davis Linda Junior

The Crew Directed, Written & Edited by Chris Kentis Produced by Laura Lau Cinematography by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau Associate Producer Estelle Lau Music Composed by Graeme Revell Run Time 80 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Icon Film Distribution - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2004 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved