“Sea Fever”- A relevant albeit unfocused sci-fi-thriller

At this current time, any film that draws attention to the necessity of containing a life-ending affection deserves some praise due to the ever-present danger of COVID-19.

However, this does not excuse Neasa Hardiman’s ocean set sci-fi thriller “Sea Fever” from placing no emphasis on reeling in the audience. Instead, its lack of purpose in what it wants to be will ultimately set viewers adrift.

Sickness at Sea

The plot revolves around Siobhan, a marine biologist who purchases her way onto a fishing trawler, the Niamh Cinn Óir in order to study faunal behavioural patterns.

Onboard she is joined by six crew members, ship captain Gerard (Dougray Scott) his wife Freya(Connie Nielson), ship engineer Omid and three others, Johnny, Ciara, and Sudi. Their mission is to secure a large quantity of fish, braving an exclusion zone at the behest of the Coastguard, due to rumours that their destination is vibrant with potential game.

As they carry out the voyage, the ship runs into an unknown shoal like object which stops the boat. At the bottom of the ship, Omid discovers breaches in the hull that exude a blue-green slime. Barnacles are suspected, and Gerard sends Siobhan, due to her possessing the only diving gear on board, to cut the boat free.

It is here that she encounters an organism that may be a newly discovered form of giant squid. The crew attempting to catch the entity in their nets sets off a chain of happenings that leads the shipmates to turn on one another, out of the fear of a potential parasite spreading.

“Sea Fever”- Accurate in depicting a pandemic

The most gripping element of the film is its build-up of tension in terms of the lifeform. As the organism begins to wreak havoc on the Niamh Cinn Ór, the crew members’ mental stability begins to degenerate.

This is employed to good effect. They argue and bicker with one another, they’re naivety to what is happening influenced by their own personal motivations. It is within these segments that the viewer starts to engage with the characters, as they display a wealth of different emotions that are relatable, especially due to the circumstances of the very real COVID-19.

Despite this, there is no sense of payoff. The entities presence is used sparingly. It is not until halfway that the creature seems to have any sort of menace. Until this point, there is a lot of conversation that has no significance as the plot reaches its conclusion.

Gerard and Freyas grief over their child is alluded to but not fully employed. At a critical juncture between the pair, a scene that could’ve been impactful feels stilted. Dougray Scott and Connie Nielson are both dependable actors, However, their chemistry is not convincing. This is not helped by both actors respective accents, Irish and Swedish, which are wide off the mark.

The films main appeal lies in its well-executed cinematography. It is hard not to get lost in the vastness of the ocean. Shots framed from the perspective of the sea provide a sense of isolation, which is key for making the sense of paranoia believable. A standout is the films final image, the creature’s blue light spreads across the water, producing a haunting sense of tranquillity.

In the end “Sea Fever” has a current resonance that is sure to inspire enough conversation in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. What lets it down is its indecisiveness at what it wants to be, never fully realising its potentially thrilling premise.

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