Today I have a different kind of a post, mostly because it’s about something I find to be very infrequently topical – sharks. Well, shark movies that is. With movies like 47 Meters Down coming out, and television networks devoting whole WEEKS to sharks, I feel like the group assumption of getting eaten by a shark is just a thing we all live with. So when a decent movie about sharks comes out I feel like it is my responsibility (as a person with such a bad shark phobia that I get nervous in the shower) to go and see it. So, that being said, I would like to talk about one underrated shark movie that came out a while back.
The Shallows is a 2016 movie starring Blake Lively about a woman who finds herself trapped on a rock 200 meters from the shore while a hungry great white shark keeps her from getting there. And that is basically it. But that’s not what it is ABOUT. Though, aside from the visuals of a beautiful beach and an attractive actress, the movie boasts nothing spectacular about this foray into the world of shark movies. But I ask the question, “is this REALLY just another shark movie?”
The obvious answer here is ‘no,’ it’s not just another shark movie, not in my opinion at least. This movie is riddled with symbolism, from the shark and the rock she is stranded on, to the seagull she helps and the very island she is visiting. This movie has a lot going on under the surface, pun intended. There are several things that happen in the movie that lead me to this conclusion, and I will show you why I think so. So let’s dive into this movie and see what we can fish out of its depths. Again, pun(s) intended.
The trailer shows briefly what I mean when I described the movie. It’s a shark movie. It’s got a shark in it. Sharky sharky shark shark. But the shark isn’t just a shark, and the rocks aren’t just rocks, and so on and so forth. There are a few things I want to detail, like the whale, the outcropping, the bird, and even the island she is there to visit, but I will start with the shark. Has the word lost its meaning yet?
THE SHARK
Greif can surround us and make us feel alone and trapped. It can eat at you and make you feel like you are losing yourself bit by bit. It can be a scary monster that rises and attacks without warning. And for those reasons, I feel that the shark in this movie represents Nancy’s grief at losing her mother. Not only does it keep her trapped on the small outcropping, but it constantly stalks her, and keeps her scared to leave. While the shark is obviously the main antagonist of the movie, it’s not the most important symbol that carries meaning with it.
THE WHALE CARCASS
The whale carcass is another symbol with more to it than what is told. I would venture to say that the whale is a representation of her life, and kind of the most important symbol in the whole film. Right after she is initially attacked by the shark, Nancy swims right for the whale carcass, instead of turning back to the shore. She goes straight for the thing she has always done, and that is to go with what is easiest. She is NOT in control of her life, so it is natural for her to succumb to the fear and follow the path of least resistance. In fact, when the shark takes hold of the whale from underneath, she screams, “Where are you taking me?” which I thought was odd, until I realized that she has been out of control of her life because of her grief. This is evident in the state of the whale. It has chunks taken out, and is bleeding. It is floating aimless in the shallows, far from where it is supposed to be, but just out of reach of anything solid. Her life is being controlled by her grief, and all she does at that point is let it happen.
That’s not to say that she wants this or is going to let it continue to happen forever. Nancy seems like a strong woman and we know that as the main character of this movie, she won’t be killed off that easy. This isn’t Rogue One after all. They killed off ALL their main characters. Like literally ALL of them. There was like six main characters that…no, no I’m not going to get into it here. This is about The Shallows. But man, I really need to do a Rogue One review…
THE ISLAND
Anyway, the island she is visiting represents her memory of her mother. She even calls the far off island the “Island of Pregnant Woman,’’ or something of that nature. She tells someone early in the movie that her mother came to that island when she was pregnant with Nancy. She obviously remembers her mother as something solid and safe in her mind. The only issue with this is that between herself and the island is the aimless whale carcass of her life, and the grief monster of a shark that is in control of it. She is figuratively barred from happiness and acceptance.
Things aren’t all bad though. With all great tests of character in movies there is always a way to cope with things and find your center again. Nancy, leaving the unsteady and dangerous whale carcass behind, swims to the outcropping after realizing the shore is just too far away. She knows this is not a permanent residence, but it is all she has until she can make it back. She finds safety in it, and even a bit of strength there. But what does it represent in the story?
THE OUTCROPPING
The small outcropping represents her hope. She clings to the hope of getting home and to safety, and as the tide comes in, her hope slowly fades. She must act before she loses it all. But hope is often all that people rely on in times of high stress or despair. Hope can be a barrier to or protection from pain or other negative things that people face. This is evident when the shark has a hard time getting to her when it tries to attack her. The coral on the outcropping has some sort of toxin that hurts the shark when it bites at her. This is hope her hope acting as a protection, keeping the grief at bay - for now.
THE BIRD
On the little outcropping, Nancy has a companion of sorts. A seagull with a broken wing is trapped on the rocks, unable to fly to safety itself. I can’t remember if the bird has its wing broken by the shark or if it is already there on the rocks when Nancy gets there, but either way it is another symbol that has meaning. The bird represents two things.
First, it represents her as the hero of the story. Before we really get into the meat of the movie, we KNOW that Nancy is having a hard time. She is ALREADY injured before she gets attacked by the shark. And just like Steven Seagull, Nancy is dealing with things before she gets stuck on the rocks.
Second, the bird represents her ability to take care of herself and others, which to me was a clear sign that she would survive the whole ordeal. That, and the fact that she is the main character. Because I mean, again, WHO kills off the main character in a movie like that? Just kidding, Rogue One did it. It did that with all six of its protagonists and with the main antagonist even. That’s seven times. SEVEN TIMES.
I’m sure there is more symbolism in this movie, like the buoy or the other surfers, or the drunk guy on the beach or the way the shark dies, but my head hurts and to be honest all this shark imagery is making my thalassophobia act up. Look it up, I promise it is a real word and thing and something I suffer from, despite being far from any ocean.
So, in conclusion, this movie is NOT just about a woman trapped on a rock in the shallows while she evades a shark and tries to not die. It is about a person struggling to repair her broken life and get over her debilitating grief and reclaim control of her aimless and stagnate life. By the end of it all, I think Nancy does just that. And who knows – maybe she was never even ON that island. Maybe the whole ordeal took place in her imagination, and she chose to personify these feelings and problems in these ways we see in the movie. That’d be a real mind explosion.
Thank you for reading my thoughts on this movie. I hope to have more things on here, but don’t hold your breath. Because there is a good chance I will go dark again for another year or whatever and will be WELL over the disappointing aspects of Rogue One and never review it. But, there is a small chance that I will make my next review about it. Who knows at this point?
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