"You dive at your own risk."

Rating: 7/10 (7 June 2018)

I wasn't aware of a sporting competition known as free diving until I saw this movie. I'm still a bit perplexed, because 'free diving' looked like anything but. The men who entered the ocean were transported into the depths via a device which I couldn't tell whether it was operated mechanically or by gravity. And then, it seemed like an awful lot of time was wasted by the divers at the varying checkpoints. Granted, the 'lot of time' may have only been seconds, but when you're holding your breath and not making distance, those moments would potentially translate into additional footage. So I didn't get that at all.
I also didn't get the competition between the principals once it reached the stage of becoming life threatening. Jacques Mayol (Jean-Marc Barr) appeared to be the better adjusted of the two; his long time friend Enzo Molinari (Jean Reno) at a certain point appeared to exhibit a degree of mental instability with his need to be the best. I even hesitate to call the men friends, as it seemed to me that Enzo's only interest in the Frenchman was in beating him at the diving game. That early scene when they were kids suggested Enzo to be a bully for forcing Jacques to step aside for the coin. I did like the way the Padre rewarded Jacques with his own coin after all the onlookers left, that was a virtuous gesture.
The relationship between Johana (Rosanna Arquette) and Jacques was another head scratcher for me. While Johana was head over heels, it seemed like Jacques couldn't care less most of the time. In the variously configured love scenes between them, check them out, they seem to be occupying positions at odds with genuine love-making. And then, for Jacques to turn his attention to a dolphin for the rest of the night, well, one might get the wrong idea.
I don't know, the enthusiasm for this film from the true believers is to be admired but the picture just didn't do it for me. I really didn't get a sense of romance with the sea that Enzo and Jacques experienced, particularly when both their fates were decided by a relationship with the water. In Enzo's case, he pushed himself beyond human endurance, but with Jacques' final descent, there was an element of finality that the average person would consider irrational. And so, I did.