It is impossible to imagine anyone ever topping Steven Spielberg’s JAWS (1975) as the ultimate movie about shark terror. The classic blockbuster which ushered in the very era it created has been defined by umpteen quotes and spoofs, including three sequels, JAWS 2 (1978), JAWS 3-D (1983) and the ill-fated JAWS: THE REVENGE (1987), which co-star Michael Caine was quoted in his biography WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT as saying ‘I haven’t seen the film, but by all accounts it was terrible, but I have seen the house that it bought’
There have been a few films since the release of that film which have involved sharks, among them 47 METERS DOWN, DEEP BLUE SEA, OPEN WATER and THE SHALLOWS, but they are mere pretenders to the crown still held by Spielberg.
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A brand-new Argentinian subtitled drama, THE SHARKS, written and directed by Lucia Garibaldi, is the latest film to add to the filmography, but for a film that has a title that promises terror along the lines of JAWS, it is going to throw audiences expecting at least one quote along the lines of ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat’.
Teenage girl Rosina (Romina Bentacur) lives in a tranquil beachside town, with a brother and sister and parents who live a much simpler life than most. The discovery of dead animals on their local beach prompts the locals to launch a WhatsApp group looking to hunt sharks and the rumours begin to grow, with even Rosina brought into the mix and asked a question or two about it.
In the meantime, she discovers the trials and tribulations of adolescence – notably in the form of a boy called Joselo (Federico Morosini) – with a group of girls who are clearly more interested in the boys in the community. than whether or not they are going to meet their maker at the hands of a great white or two in the bay….
This is probably one of the stranger JAWS-wannabe additions and something isn’t quite gelling when you are more than halfway through its running time and there is hardly a suggestion of a shark, let alone one leaping out of the screen at you.
As mentioned, the title suggests horror rather than drama and although the film took home a key prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, it’s more of a straightforward youth drama that would sell better with a different marketing strategy and title.
It’s a shame that there is going to be a lot of misunderstanding of the context and story-line of the film and publicity suggests that the title is more of a metaphor for the character’s own arc of discovery in the film. Audiences may find the interpretation a little confusing, as this reviewer did. That’s not to decry the director’s work, as the film has got depth in its heart.
If you look deeper into the film and not go into it expecting a high concept genre piece, then you will be rewarded with a competent tale of a teenage girl attempting to make it through a restless summer experience. It’s refreshingly honest in its interpretation of teenage girl adolescence and captures the spirit of beach life in a grounded perspective.
