Sea Fever is a 2019 mystery movie directed by Neasa Hardiman. It is about a group of people on a boat who encounter a parasite that starts to infect them one by one. Below is my Sea Fever (2019) movie review
At first glance, this movie appears to be a horror movie. However, it is not. It is more of a mystery movie about people stuck on a boat with a parasite going after each one of them. The survivors fight and discuss what to do without themselves going mad. When we are introduced to our main character Siobhan (Hermione Corfield), we see she is shy and a bit socially awkward. By the end she tries her best to be a glue for the team and keep them together. It is a bit reflective of our current times as she also asks the other 6 people to quarantine to help curb the spread of whatever parasite is on their boat.
This movie never lingers too much on anything. When we are introduced to the “creature” we immediately see what it can do to people. The people see first hand what it does to people but the horror of being on the boat and not being able to go to a hospital for treatment quickly sets in. While the movie never gets too gory, it does have some scenes that can be intense for the more squeamish. It is subtly built up but it never goes overboard with it. It is almost like a slow burn but it does not necessarily drag out too much.
The movie has a great atmosphere and the setting on a rusty fishing boat really gives it a grim feel even before we are introduced to the creature. The characters all get along well but soon become a bit distant. They constantly argue about what to do and weather to seek help on land. This created an even glimmer atmosphere that unfortunately did not go throughout the movie. This was more evident at the beginning but the tense atmosphere fizzled out by the end.
Speaking of the end, IMO it was not very strong. It ends on a cliffhanger but you want to know more. The creature itself was not discussed too much so the origin was kind of vague. This could be a pro or a con depending on what type of a viewer you are. To me it was alright. I did not need to know everything about it as it takes away from the mystery of it. It looks strange with bioluminescent tentacles attached to the boat, so it has the look of being alien and organic at the same time.
Overall the movie was good but not great. The cast did a great job with what they were given. We have some authentic Irish accents presented here. The movie can be very gloomy but it never gets dark or too violent. This is a story of people stuck in one setting with a mysterious force pushing them to a boiling point. The violence never gets too extreme but there are some uncomfortable scenes. The ending was left to our own interpretations but it was not very strong (at least to me).
Thank you for reading my Sea Fever (2019) movie review
