Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
Plot: A winter diving trip in Norway turns into a desperate race against time for two sisters when one of them becomes trapped on the bottom of the ocean by falling rocks.
Review: How can something as vast as the ocean, be so claustrophobic at the same time? Breaking Surface is a Nordic film (subtitles won’t kill you folks, stop running from ’em) and the title is a fitting one, as it’s not just about a harrowing tale of survival, but of two half sisters, one of which is their mother’s obvious favourite, trying to find a connection in their tenuous relationship. But before you roll your eyes and click on something else worth reading (rude by the way), it’s also an edge-of-your-seat thriller, packed with clock-ticking tension, the kind that has you yelling obscenities at your television screen like a nutter off their meds.
This is another solidly-made movie that proves you don’t need a huge cast and a massive budget to deliver entertainment. Breaking Surface gives us just enough time to get to know our leads before quickly submerging us (pun intended) into what seems like an impossible situation. While I’m not familiar with these actresses, they both do a great job of delivering on their character traits — the professional and level-headed nature of the younger sister, who deep sea dives for a living, being a great counterpoint to her panicked older sister, who also has diving knowledge (their mother taught them both) but who isn’t a professional, and is also struggling with her own perceived weaknesses in herself.
The overall arc of their relationship as a counterpoint to their fight for survival is so well executed that mainstream viewers can just sit back and enjoy this as a solid thriller, while the onion peelers like myself (as in onions have layers? get it? you get it) can enjoy both the thrills and the deeper metaphors found, say it with me now…when you’re Breaking Surface.
Sommer’s Score: 6 out of 10
For my review of snow storm thriller Centigrade you can click here.
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
Double Tap Baby!
You can also follow me as Moviejunkies Cont’d on Facebook and watch my movie review videos on YouTube. For my longer bio you can click here.