A long, long time ago, not in a galaxy far away but in our own, Steven Spielberg directed Shark (1975), the film that became an instant success and coined the term blockbuster. And now In the depths of the Seinenew thriller Netflixwhich floats but does not sink, adds relevance to a hyper-traveled genre.
In Spielberg’s film, the police chief, Chief Brody (Roy Scheider), wants to close the beaches of Amity Island when he discovers that there is a shark attacking bathers. But, you will remember, his proposal is rejected by the mayor, who under no circumstances wants to miss the start of the summer season there, on Long Island, being the main source of income for the tourist town.
To round it off: Brody will be accompanied by an ichthyologist and a wise fisherman to fish for the shark.
What happens now, almost 50 years later, in In the Depths of the Seine? In present time, or almost, shortly after the Olympic Games triathlon opens, where hundreds of swimmers will jump into the waters of the river that runs through the City of Light, doubt arises. Is there a shark in the Seine?
Bérénice Bejo, who is Sophia, a shark specialist, discovers something unexpected. Photos Netflix
And once again it will be the political power, in this case, the mayor of Paris, who, in the face of evidence, decides not to inform the press, for questionable reasons such as preserving the Olympic festival knowing that it could cost lives.
And if in Shark There was a specialist in the study of fish, both marine and continental waters, here we have our compatriot (because she was born in Buenos Aires) Bernice Bejo trying to reason with the mayor.
Bejo, who was nominated for an Oscar for The artistby her husband, Michel Hazanavicius, is in this fiction Sophia Assalas, another specialist in fish, in particular sharks, who three years ago suffered the death of her partner and part of the diving crew, due to a shark attack.
Lilith does her thing right, but right at the Olympic Games.
Sophia, three years later, does not understand how Lilith, as she named the female shark she monitored, had grown so large. Climate change, don’t tell me, is the reason it had to readapt, and now it is there, in the catacombs beneath Paris… or in the Seine itself, seeking refuge after ocean pollution drove it out of the water. salty
Climate change, Paris Olympic Games…
Sophia finds herself caught between the police and a youth-driven activist movement, led by Mika, who is trying to save the fish, and who is monitoring Lilith. And the surprises won’t be long in coming.
Surely In the depths of the Seine, which is really not that deep: it is only 5 meters, Ana María Hidalgo Aleu, the royal mayor, who has governed Paris since 2014, must not have liked it very much. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Xavier Gens’ film (he directed some episodes of the series Lupinealso from Netflix) has enough shark attack scenes, some better resolved than others, this means that the post-production, the special effects work, is not so noticeable.
The film has production. And you can see it.
Already in the death of Sophia’s husband, the director leaves a sign of his particular taste. Notice how she makes herself explicit by a hand and forearm floating with a wedding ring…
What a face, what a gesture. Sophia and something she doesn’t understand.
Is it worth sitting through all 104 minutes of In the depths of the Seine? The film has rhythm, effects and impossible dialogues, but it honors the genre and within the new Netflix catalog in cinematographic matters, which a week ago released another one about a monster, Godzilla Minus OneWell worth giving it a chance.
“In the depths of the Seine”
Horror / Action. France, 2024. Original title: “Sous la Seine”. 104′, SAM 13. Of: Xavier Gens. With: Bérénice Bejo, Nassim Lyes, Léa Léviant, Sandra Parfait. Available in: Netflix.
