Wim Wenders’s latest feature, adapted from the acclaimed novel of the same name, Submergence follows the fleeting love story of two wandering souls whose strong connection is challenged by their contrasting careers which land them both in positions of life-threatening danger.
While both are individually staying alone at a beautiful French hotel on the coast of Normandy to decompress before separate missions, bio-mathematician Dannielle (Alicia Vikander) and British spy (whose cover identity is that of a water engineer), James (James McAvoy) propitiously meet and realise that they have a connection neither of them have previously experienced.
They both share passions that drive them to work hard in their careers (her – discovering life on the bottom of the ocean, him – helping prevent terrorist attacks), but once they discover each other their career passions begin to dilute. As their short but passionate time together comes to an end they agree that once Dani has completed the dangerous deep-sea dive that she has been preparing for, she will then join James in Africa.
As James travels back to war-torn Nairobi to begin his mission, he is captured and brutally interrogated by vicious Somali jihadists, while worlds away Dani prepares to descend into the Arctic Sea, placing her life in the hands of these unpredictable waters. With James having no access to his phone, Dani’s messages go unanswered, leaving her heartbroken and distracted whilst in the middle of the open sea.
The storyline is reminiscent of the separated lovers within Atonement, which McAvoy also starred in. In both films, as the audience watches a passionate romance blossom, there is a foreshadowing of doom that cannot be shaken. It’s clear to see what Wenders was attempting to create with Submergence: a tortured love story that found its wandering characters struggling to maintain their deep emotional connection while separated by the realities of their worlds. Unfortunately, though, the film fails to emotionally grab its audience. Both Vikander and McAvoy give performances that are expected of high-quality actors, but they’re working with, what can be at times, an awkward and unbelievable script that sometimes feels as though it’s trying too hard to be “deep” and “artsy”.
The choice of stunningly contrasting locations and incredible visual settings goes some way towards holding the audience’s attention. Submergence presents the blossoming of the relationship in a stunning chateau on the sunny coast of Normandy in France, then travels to the dry and poverty-stricken world of a seaside Nairobi settlement. It also includes the vastness of the open ocean with no land in site and the raised, jagged peaks of the Faroe Islands located between the Norwegian Sea and North Atlantic Ocean. All provide stunning backdrops to the lovers’ stories.
Submergence aims to immerse us in the emotional depths of a beautiful and complex connection, but unfortunately, due to a directorial heavy hand and a questionable script, doesn’t quite make it out of the water. Though, for those who enjoy tortured romances set in attention-grabbing locations, this will be a winner.
Submergence is currently playing at Trak Cinemas.
Check out the official site here.
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