●●●●○

While parasitic horror isn’t exactly unprecedented filmmaking, Neasa Hardiman finds a way to keep you gripped to your seat and gasping for air in this psychological, maritime thriller. Premiering in Toronto (TIFF) in 2019, Sea Fever gained attention as a promising debut feature film for seasoned writer/director, Neasa Hardiman, and I predict this steady roll will continue upon its release in Irish cinemas. The film centres on Siobhan (Hermione Corfield), a headstrong marine biology student who boards the ‘Sancta Maria’ fishing trawler bound for the Atlantic. Her presence on the crew is fascinating to watch, as their initial fears of red-headed bad luck and herd-like stoicism slowly give way to nuanced, individual charisma towards the newcomer. Yet all hopes of light-hearted banter and bonding are put on hold as things take an eerie turn when their boat is abruptly stopped by an unknown force below…

 

Thankfully for us viewers, we are never really privileged an unflinching look at this curious creature of the deep. I say thankfully, because this refusal to give away the enigmatic life force of the film is exactly what propels it forward. We see glimpses of its glowing, bluish tentacles and arachnophobia-inducing body, but never fully observe it, keeping us guessing in the dark. After this initial introduction, Hardiman wastes no time ramping up the tension with a jaw-clenching scuba diving sequence featuring young Siobhan examining the tentacles latched to the hull of the ship – a truly terrifying visual. Next there’s controversy over shipping route decisions and love blossoming between Siobhan and Johnny (Jack Hickey), the dutiful deck-hand, as we’re lulled into a false sense of security when the creature releases the trawler from its grips. Without giving much else away, let’s just say this thriller very effectively turns into a horror. Bloodshed, gore, anguish, paranoia and terror flood the retinas and tremble the viscera as the creature from beneath begins to slowly infect the crew of the Sancta Maria with parasitic poison. The Captain (Dougray Scott) withers away, the engine officer (Elie Bouakaze) is comatose and the cook goes mad (Olwen Fouéré)…you’d think I was writing a review of a Gothic romance! Eventually things become too much for Siobhan to handle alone, and she enlists the help of the magnanimous ship-engineer Omid (Ardalan Esmaili) and the wary owner of this ill-fated trawler, Freya (Connie Nielsen), as they fight to destroy the creature.

 

Each shot of the vast Atlantic Ocean evokes sheer awe, from tumultuous waves crashing against the withered old ship, to a prolonged shot of petrol streams slithering atop the big blue, perhaps therein lying the motive for the creature’s attack…Admittedly, the film is not perfect, nor is the premise entirely unique, yet something about it keeps you hooked, no pun intended. One can easily forgive the often clichéd dialogue and shoddy CGI for the sheer brilliance of this film’s constant escalation of tension and its beautiful cinematography (Ruairí O’Brien). Just when you think there’s nothing more to be done, another hurdle blocks their path to salvation. Neasa Hardiman helms this ship with prowess, and the film is, in my eyes, a terrifying triumph. It’s funny: Siobhan was initially in a sense the parasite, whose unwelcome presence leeched off the crew’s cheery pathos, and then she became the cure, the only person capable of stopping this undying force…Who she is when the credits roll… well you’ll have to see it to find out.

 

Sea Fever is meant to be shown in Irish cinemas from April 24.