Writer & Director
Miranda Nation

Starring
Laura Gordon, Olivia DeJonge, Rob Collins and Josh Helman

A contemporary, sensual and adult Australian drama, UNDERTOW begins as a pregnant wife named Claire (Laura Gordon) relaxes in a warm bath while home alone one night, when tragedy strikes that results with the loss of her baby. Some time passes, yet Claire understandably continues to struggle finding ways to cope with her grief, despite quickly resuming her job as a photojournalist. She is also struggling to figure out who the younger and beautiful woman is she has spotted in close contact with her husband, Dan (Rob Collins). Given that investigating their link to one another is the only real distraction from the pain she feels, Claire begins to stalk her. Initial infatuation turns to dangerous obsession though after Claire makes a discovery, which will reveal a shocking secret that may involve her husband.

Shot on location in Geelong and the Surf Coast region where writer and director Miranda Nation grew up, UNDERTOW does well to draw interest from early by making it clear to viewers there’s definitely more to Dan’s involvement with Angie (Olivia DeJonge) than he would like his wife to know. However, that involvement may not necessarily be the most obvious choice we’re more than likely thinking, yet the screenplay does enough to cause some doubt to his sincerity. It’s a guessing game that certainly keeps the guesses coming throughout the opening act.

UNDERTOW hits its first genuine hurdle as Claire seemingly begins to lose her sanity and allows the curiosity she has for Angie to turn into more of a worrying and unhealthy fixation. Somewhere throughout this plot progression, the film’s story becomes stagnant and movie visually repetitive. Too many scenes intended to accentuate Claire’s deteriorating state of mind occupy the film and lack the substance needed to keep its momentum. On the flip side, these scenes do play a part in the film’s themes of grief and trauma becoming more apparent throughout its second half. After its moderate dip in form, UNDERTOW needed to have a satisfying end to be considered worth watching. Thankfully, it does close out its story both convincingly and strongly. The revelations made during its final minutes are bolstered by solid performances from the cast all throughout, but especially from Olivia DeJonge and Laura Gordon. What we see here from Laura Gordon during Claire’s most difficult moments is raw acting of world-class calibre.

3 stars

Viewer Discretion
MA15+ (Strong themes, sexual violence and sex scenes)

Trailer
UNDERTOW

Moviedoc thanks Mind Blowing World and Miranda Brown Publicity for the screener link to watch and review this film.

UNDERTOW is released in cinemas throughout Australia from the 5th of March, 2020.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc
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