Alex Parkinson directs this story he co-wrote with Mitchell LaFortune and David Brooks based on his 2019 documentary he co-directed with Richard da Costa about a serious 2012 diving accident when saturation diver Chris Lemons’ (Finn Cole) umbilical cable severed, trapping him 330 feet under the sea without heat or light, and only a small amount of breathing gas in his backup tank. The film also stars Woody Harrelson as Duncan Allock, Simu Liu as Dave Yuasa, Cliff Curtis as Captain Andre Jenson, and Bobby Rainsbury as Morag, Lemons’ fiancée. (93 min.)
Glen This story is absolutely bonkers, and saturation divers are straight-up nuts to do that incredibly dangerous job. I wasn’t familiar with the “sat diver” job, but these guys spend days at sea in a compression chamber slowly getting their bodies used to being under multiple atmospheres of pressure so they can repair oil pipelines 300 feet underwater. They might stay under this pressure for days until their job is done, and then they spend days in a decompression chamber so they can safely return to Earth’s atmosphere without their organs exploding. I don’t know how well they’re paid, but it’s not enough. This job is a serious “hells no” from me. They’re also operating in a powerful storm. This is an incredible survival story and a testament to the commitment these divers make. They’re a band of brothers.
Anna There’s a certain kind of person that can do this type of work. It may be the same sort of instinct that tells Alex Honnold that he can free solo, but whatever the instinct or compulsion is, I don’t have it. This film was straight-up stressful for me, not only because Chris’ chances of survival ticked by without oxygen, but because of the engulfing claustrophobia of the seabed. Kudos to the filmmaker for bringing that darkness and inescapable vastness to the screen in such an impactful way. His dive partner, Dave (Simu Liu), is standoffish and serious, while his mentor and fellow diver, Duncan, is loveable and quick with a joke, played perfectly by Harrelson. I didn’t know the story of this dive before, but I do now, and I don’t think it’s a story I’ll ever forget.
Glen The story cuts between the divers in trouble, the captain and crew trying to fix the ship’s computerized system that holds it in place over the dive job, and Chris’ fiancé, Morag, driving home the emotional connections between the people. Nobody wants to lose Chris, but as the ship drifts out of position with Chris at the bottom of the sea, untethered and with just 10 minutes of backup oxygen, his chances grow slimmer by the minute. You’re right, Harrelson was terrific, but Rainsbury as Morag is devastating. Saturation diving is inherently dangerous. There’s some effective humor, too, for instance when Chris tries to assuage her fears by saying it’s just like going into space, except under the water. Not helpful, dude! The tightly directed 93 minutes fly by.
Anna Spouses of first responders and high-risk job holders have a bravery that I can’t fathom. While the seconds and minutes tick by, I kept getting farther and farther away from believing that there was any hope of Chris’ recovery. Watching the team’s efforts to give him even a whiff of a chance of survival was both heart-stopping and life-affirming. This one’s worth a watch. ∆
Arts Editor Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Mar 6-16, 2025.