‘The Dive’: Munich Review

Dir: Maximilian Erlenwein. Germany. 2022. 91mins

Director Maximilian Erlenwein’s first English-language feature is a race-against-time thriller in which a woman tries to save her sister from a watery grave. An earnest companion piece to the likes of The Shallows (2016) or 47 Meters Down (2017), this efficiently-handled nail-biter is set to open in some territories in August (including the UK on August 25) after its Munich Film Festival premiere, hoping for some cooler waters as blockbuster season starts to wind down. In its theatrical favour, The Dive will work best as an immersive big screen experience thanks to the appealing Maltese locations and the claustrophobic dramas that unfold in the murky depths of the ocean.

There is a focused energy to the storytelling that eschews any of the guilty pleasure B-movie elements of the premise

The tale begins as sisters Drew (Sophie Lowe) and May (Louisa Krause) drive along a spectacular mountain coastline to an ominously isolated point on an unidentified European coastline that is ideal for diving. It appears to be an annual event for them, although their brief conversations suggest that they are not as close as they might seem. Their knowledge of each other’s dating status and current employment is shaky at best. We do glean a sense of their distinctive personalities — Drew is excited and enthusiastic while May appears more jaded.

May is certainly the more safety conscious, making sure they have extra oxygen tanks and safety equipment. There is nobody else in sight as they climb down a steep cliff to a remote beach. A jetty leads straight to inviting waters and they dive in. Swimming in the darkness of the sea, they discover an underwater cave. It isn’t long before May is hit by falling debris and trapped under rocks with a limited supply of air. The clock is ticking as a frantic, panicky Drew must determine what she can do to save her sister.

All of this happens within the first 15 minutes of a trim running time, suggesting that Erlenwein (2014 Berlin Panorama title Stereo) is keen to get down to business. What follows is a tense tale of Drew’s desperate efforts to save her sister – a process that involves risking her life to try and raise the alarm, secure additional oxygen tanks and make repeated, dangerous trips back to the surface. There is a visual challenge for any film set in the ocean depths where the limited visibility is punctured only by the beam of a flashlight or the gurgling cascade of oxygen bubbles rushing to the surface. Erlenwein manages to balance the gloom with sunshine as Drew embarks on a search for help on land or flashbacks provide a sketchy insight into the family dynamic; moments when the adolescent sisters were under the thumb of their domineering father.

Everything else is a footnote to the dwindling hopes of rescue and whether Drew is willing to risk her life to save her sister. There is a focused energy to the storytelling that eschews any of the guilty-pleasure B-movie elements of the premise. There are no killer creatures lurking in the depths or outsiders riding to their assistance. Instead, it is about the resourcefulness of the women and their determination that this will not end badly.

Lowe carries the more physically demanding of the two roles whilst Krause conveys the quiet resolve of a sister trying to remain calm as she is left to contemplate a potential death sentence. Together they bring conviction to the relationship between the sisters. The film itself has a commendable logic and credibility, but perhaps lacks a little of the pulse-racing intensity that might have made it a more obviously commercial proposition.