Breaking Surface

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Breaking Surface

Released Dec 9, 2020

1h 35m

Action

Drama

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100%

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7 Reviews

49%

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50+ Ratings

A few days after Christmas, half-sisters Ida and Tuva set out on a winter dive in a remote part of the Norwegian coastline. Towards the end of the dive, a rockslide traps Tuva under water. As Ida surfaces to call for help, she discovers that the rockslide has struck above water as well, burying their equipment, phones and car keys--they are completely cut off from any chance of outside rescue. As the frantic race for survival unfolds, Ida is put to the ultimate test of character and forcefulness. During Ida's fight to save Tuva, a fractured sisterhood is exposed, and when all seems lost, the stakes rise beyond simple survival.

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Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

Breaking Surface is a miniaturized version of another fabulous boulder-meets-water Norwegian flick, 2015's The Wave: an epic disaster movie on an intimate scale.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 12, 2021

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Meagan Navarro

Bloody Disgusting

Instead of sharks and a required suspension of belief, writer/director Joachim Hedén opts for realism and ingenious situations, creating one of the most intense and propulsive survival thrillers in recent memory.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 22, 2020

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Jessica Scott

Film Cred

Writer-director Joachim Hedén’s survival thriller Breaking Surface is a tense and heart-wrenching examination of sisterly bonds that are tested by a terrifying diving accident made all the more dangerous by the looming specter of unresolved family wounds.

Oct 17, 2022

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Peter Martin

ScreenAnarchy

Consistently surprises as it develops into a gripping story of survival.

Rated: 4.0/5.0

Feb 22, 2021

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Margot Harrison

Seven Days (VT)

Writer-director Joachim Hedén has created a pared-down, efficient thriller that evokes all the frustration of those days when not one damn thing goes right for us - only with life-or-death stakes.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 20, 2021

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Alex Saveliev

Film Threat

Will Breaking Surface redefine survival thrillers? Most likely not. But it's a lean, mean little tension machine. You'll be chilled to the bone.

Rated: 7/10

Jan 7, 2021

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Philip E

As a diver you can not watch this movie. As an experienced diver, Breaking Surface is borderline insulting. What could have been a tense, immersive survival thriller is ruined by technical inaccuracies, shallow character behavior, and laughable equipment choices. The protagonists supposedly dive in freezing water with decent drysuits – and then breathe through cheap Cressi second stages and haul around single tanks like they’re pool-diving in summer. You have a film that feels like it was written by someone who watched a scuba crash course on YouTube but wants to be a technical diver. The only thing colder than the water is the acting. For real divers: avoid. For non-divers: it might be tense, but don’t take any of it seriously.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/12/25

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Brad C

As long as you aren't a diver there's a possibility you might actually enjoy this. Otherwise prepare yourself to be subjected to a relentless barrage of inaccuracies that will keep you shaking your head throughout all of their failed attempts at tension and drama.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/24/25

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Audience Member

I didn't know I alredy watched the remake of this, but this one is definnitely better. Normally I don't enjoy thse type of film but was well done... and the dog 10/10

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/18/25

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Rosana B

Mais um filme norueguês para eu me apaixonar, desastres, eles amam, e nós amamos mais… Talvez por ter uma irmã, toda angustia impressa no filme foi potencializado, muita tensão, claustrofobia e falta de ar sob as águas congelantes da Noruega, fotografia belíssima, neve, as cenas sob as águas com iluminação perfeita (geralmente são escuras em excesso), mais uma excelente produção norueguesa em termos técnicos e artísticos… Em 2023 lançaram um Remake de “The Dive”… Ameiii…

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/08/25

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James A

What in the heck? There's not option for closed-caption, or listening to the movie in English. Worthless.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/25/24

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r96 s

A diving film that does the job. 'Breaking Surface' doesn't set up its characters all that well, though once underwater the stakes are very much felt and the dangers that exist are made apparent. It does get unsettling in parts. Moa Gammel Ginsburg and Madeleine Martin are good value, though the former's Ida isn't as likeable as she ought to be; written a bit iffily. This movie does offer some stunning visuals of the local landscapes. All in all, I'd say it's worth watching. The short 82 minute run time also ensures that events don't drag.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/19/24

Full Review

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Joachim Hedén

Director

Moa Gammel

Ida

Madeleine Martin

Tuva

Trine Wiggen

Anne

Remi Alashkar

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Alessio Barreto

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Breaking Surface: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A few days after Christmas, half-sisters Ida and Tuva set out on a winter dive in a remote part of the Norwegian coastline. Towards the end of the dive, a rockslide traps Tuva under water. As Ida surfaces to call for help, she discovers that the rockslide has struck above water as well, burying their equipment, phones and car keys--they are completely cut off from any chance of outside rescue. As the frantic race for survival unfolds, Ida is put to the ultimate test of character and forcefulness. During Ida's fight to save Tuva, a fractured sisterhood is exposed, and when all seems lost, the stakes rise beyond simple survival.

Director: Joachim Hedén
Producer: Julia Gebauer, Jonas Sörensson
Screenwriter: Joachim Hedén
Distributor: Doppelgänger Releasing
Production Co: Screen Flanders, Umedia, Way Feature Films, Film i Skåne, Filmfond Nord, Film i Väst, Way Creative Films, Wegge Films
Genre: Action, Drama
Original Language: Swedish
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 9, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 15, 2020
Runtime: 1h 35m

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