Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Effective, relevant sci-fi/horror monster movie.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Sea Fever
What's the Story?
In SEA FEVER, Siobhán (Hermione Corfield) is a marine biology student who's more comfortable with books than she is with people. Nonetheless, she's assigned to an Irish fishing trawler to assess the ship's fish haul. When she arrives, her long red hair, a bad omen among sailors, sets off alarm bells with the crew. But the captain, Gerard (Dougray Scott), and his wife, Freya (Connie Nielsen), head into an off-limits "exclusion zone" anyway, where the catch is plentiful and checks out just fine. Then, before long, a strange muck starts seeping through the hull. Siobhán dives in to the water to investigate, assuming it's just barnacles, but she finds something far more startling. Worse, a kind of parasite seems to be infecting the crew through the trawler's water supply.
Is It Any Good?
This well-made sci-fi horror movie provides its share of prickly dread and mysterious creatures, has a smart female hero, and addresses interesting issues around quarantining. Written and directed by Neasa Hardiman, Sea Fever makes terrific use of its locations -- the small trawler and the surrounding ocean -- effectively moving back and forth between cramped quarters below and open spaces above. In establishing Siobhán as shy and antisocial, the physical space on the ship around her can become either oppressive or comforting.
Sea Fever is compact and tightly paced, with a clever, enigmatic use of its monster. It suggests more than it shows, keeping the intrigue intact. The interesting cast, led by veterans Scott and Nielsen, help keep things afloat in general. It sometimes feels like certain elements were cut -- such as the idea of Siobhán's red hair being a possible harbinger of bad luck, which is introduced and then never brought up again. Still, her character comes to life as she overcomes her fears to argue for quarantining the unknown sickness, while others panic and wish to return to civilization. It's a powerfully relevant message.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Sea Fever's depiction of violence. How did it make you feel? What's shown, and what's not shown? Is the movie scary?
What does it mean to quarantine? What would happen if the characters went to a hospital? What was the right thing to do in this situation?
Is Siobhán a positive role model? How does she change over the course of the movie? What does she sacrifice? What are her faults?
How do the events of the movie compare with the 2020 coronavirus pandemic?
Have you ever felt shy like Siobhán? What is it like to be shy? Is it always a bad thing? What can you do to try to not be shy?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : April 10, 2020
- Cast : Dougray Scott , Connie Nielsen , Hermione Corfield
- Director : Neasa Hardiman
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Gunpowder & Sky
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 89 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : February 15, 2023
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