[Film Review] Sea Fever (2020)

The sea happens to be one of those environments that can provide anyone with a different feeling; for some it’s a sense of calm and escapism, for others it provides the excitement and thrill of unpredictability and then for a few it is a vast and unknowing place that incites anxiety and fear.

The latter is why so many films have taken advantage of the expanse of water and turned it into a terrifying pool for the unknown to be explored and exploited. Neasa Hardiman’s 2020 science fiction horror film, Sea Fever, looks at alienation on board and below deck with this subtle yet trancing film about marine biology and human behaviour. 

On the coasts of Ireland, Siobhan (played by Hermione Corfield) is an ambitious yet closed-off marine biology student who is about to embark on a research field trip by tagging along on a fishing trawler with a hardened and experienced crew. She doesn’t particularly make a good first impression with the crew as she presents herself in a cold and manner of fact way, that allows her to quickly feel alienated from the team who know each other intimately. After being warned not to pass through a particular area of the ocean, the co-captain Gerard (played by Dougray Scott) decides to take the boat through anyway as it’s the best area for catching fish. The crew quickly discover that something has attached itself to the underbelly of the boat and an oozing substance is being drip-fed into the engine room.

Sea Fever establishes its characters well and gives us more than enough personalities to follow along, however, at times it feels difficult to really connect with the main character of Siobhan because she presents herself in such an emotionless way. Even though with time she becomes a little warmer, she is constantly matter of fact with her responses and there is never a moment where we really feel warmth towards her. Alienated from the rest of the crew, when shit starts to get real it becomes difficult for Siobhan to help her fellow crewmates as no-one really wants to have anything to do with her except for young skipper Johnny (played by Jack Hickey). This slight emotional disconnect makes Sea Fever troublesome in really feeling for our protagonist and wanting to see a happy ending. 

Sea Fever presents some interesting ideas from the beginning, and makes the audience wonder quite where the film will go. At first it seems that we have a straight laced creature feature on our hands, with an exceptionally large tentacled monster dwelling beneath the sea’s surface and latching itself upon the boat like a child to a teat. This is where the oozing goo comes into play and infects the trawler with its fluorescent virus that unknowingly is far more dangerous and deadly than the creature itself. Yet there is more to this parasitic slime than looks, and even though it’s laden with flesh eating microbe maggots, it also has a way of completely transforming its hosts behaviour and causing some manifestation of cabin fever, which as the tales tell, when onset at sea can end in devastating consequences. Unfortunately all three of these aspects become muddled along the way, and it feels as if Sea Fever never fully finds it’s legs and instead becomes overwhelmed by the tide, swaying from one side to the other without a clear direction ahead. 

There are however many redeemable features that keep Sea Fever moving along at a steady pace filled with elements of intrigue. The audience is kept guessing at exactly how the film will play out, allowing us to fill in the gaps of what might happen next; will the creature be some form of Cthulhu and eat everyone on board? Will the slime keep spreading and swallow everyone? Are the crew actually just suffering from cabin fever and losing their minds? It is subtle and slow-paced with the guessing game, which gives us time to ponder on what we might witness. There’s also well-shot cinematography, some fantastic practical effects, a few horrifically gory and nasty scenes featuring a bucketful of blood, and most importantly a cast that all give believable performances. 

This film doesn’t necessarily offer anything new to the audience, and might feel like it’s lost on its own path but it does keep you captivated throughout and for those who are fans of subtle creature feature sci-fi horror films then you’ll find something within this one. Sea Fever is gooey, gory and will make you feel a little sea-sick.

RELATED ARTICLES

---

---

GHOULS GANG CONTENT

EXPLORE

---

MORE ARTICLES

---

---