Here’s a friendly reminder that only 30% of planet Earth is made up of land. And there’s a significant portion of the remaining 70%, otherwise known as the deep sea, that has yet to be touched; we’ve explored more of our moon than the bottom of our oceans. Director Eleanor Mortimer’s feature debut How Deep Is Your Love explores this eye-opening notion, for all you budding biologists or just plain inquisitive folks out there. There have been a plethora of acclaimed documentaries about the environment, and ever since the silent era people have made mesmerizing films about marine life, from Jean Painlevé to Jacques Cousteau.
Now, Mortimer’s film joins the ranks as yet another effective study and call to action. The film’s approach to exploring underwater territories and potentially discovering new species is lively and graceful. It’s also spiked with subtle adrenaline as we board a picturesque 55-day ocean journey with the filmmakers. Hey, cinema is a visual entertainment medium after all.
In effect, the title alone should make you smirk, a slight nod to the names of hit songs by the Bee Gees and/or EDM staple Calvin Harris. Sadly, you shouldn’t expect either landmark track to occupy part of the documentary’s soundtrack — though that’s not to say the film doesn’t offer plenty of other pleasant melodies across its surprisingly brisk 100-minute runtime. And given the inspiring messages and upbeat nature that are also offered throughout Mortimer’s new film, it’s safe to say that if I were still in school, and my hungover science teacher happened to wheel in a television and press ‘play’ to kill time, I’d gladly stay awake and enjoy this documentary.
A 55-Day Cinematic Voyage
4
/5
With deep-sea mining looming, biologists race to collect and name the undiscovered species of the abyss, the last wilderness on earth.
Release Date
February 28, 2025
Genres
Documentary
Runtime
100 Minutes
Director
Eleanor Mortimer
Writers
Eleanor Mortimer
Producers
Jacob Thomas
Production Company
BFI Doc Society Fund, Luna Films, Ngauruhoe Film, Sandbox Films
Pros & Cons
- Visual marvels and inspiring messages aplenty.
- A poetic voiceover and an upbeat soundtrack.
- The passion of the onboard scientists is palpable and infectious.
- It may be a niche subject for some audiences, but you know what you’re getting into.
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Let it be known that How Deep Is Your Love very much has the vintage, by-the-books “doc” feel — and would certainly spawn a Documentary Now! spoof, which is a compliment — but director Mortimer is still able to keep things whimsical and enthralling. For instance, she employs a thought-provoking female narrator who might light a spark in you and make you wish you had further pursued oceanography and biology back in your academic years. Who knows, maybe it would have led you to join an epic 55-day excursion aboard a ship with 49 other marine-life researchers, eager to set sail across the ocean and plunge into its great depths. But what for, exactly? Digging for treasure?
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That’s one way to put it. “Taxonomy” is actually the name of the game here: the science of naming, categorizing and describing new species. What’s rather infectious about How Deep Is Your Love is the palpable passion shared by the on-screen scientists we follow. It’s clear they have all dedicated their lives to these kinds of biological endeavors, and their excitement keeps us invested.
But what are the stakes here, beyond the research? Indeed, what made My Octopus Teacher — a similarly captivating underwater doc — so successful was that it followed a classic film narrative structure so accurately, despite being a real-life project. A screenwriter could look at the end result and say, “This is more than just delicious footage of marine life.” No wonder that 2020 film took home Oscar gold during such a competitive documentary year.
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While more academic and environmental, How Deep Is Your Love also has structural tropes that keep it grounded and make this an adventure worth hopping aboard for. The film’s catalyst is the real-life impending introduction of deep-sea mining by certain corporations, which would, of course, hinder and even devastate the protagonists’ ongoing quest to categorize the remaining marine-life mysteries which inhabit that wet 70% of our planet. Better get moving, biologists.
Categorizing Underwater Mysteries With Grace
An enthralling story also needs obstacles for the hero to tackle in order to achieve their goals, and with time ticking away, the very likable biologists in How Deep Is Your Love don’t have it that easy. Let’s also not forget that marine life cannot survive outside their ecosystem, so director Mortimer effectively introduces an ethical component to her unique subject matter: The biologists must work to handle their findings with grace and extreme care, so that they don’t cause irreparable harm to the incredible lifeforms they discover in the deep sea. In stressful sequences like these, the whispering nature of the film’s narrator only boosts the sort of suspense as the subjects plunge their superior equipment deeper into the center of our planet. And no, the voiceover doesn’t require an A-lister assist to illicit audience reactions, thank you very much.
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Since this is the forward-thinking third decade of the 21st century we’re in, expect technological advancements to boost the end result of How Deep Is Your Love throughout. Exhibit A: The fancy gizmos our 50 biologists plunge underwater are equipped with high-definition cameras that help them (and us) better encounter these strange new species. Mortimer efficiently cuts between her subjects’ wide-eyed expressions and the deep-sea camera footage that approaches any number of wondrous inhabitants way down in the seabeds of Earth.
How Deep Is Your Interest in the Ocean & Marine Life?
Sure, marine biology isn’t for everyone, and certain filmgoers might still be yawning all the way through despite Mortimer’s attempts to keep things lively throughout. But anyone who chooses to watch How Deep Is Your Love in the first place likely understands what it’s about; come for the study of marine life, and stay for the astounding visuals, poetic voiceover, and wild discoveries. It’s all capped off with a series of head-scratching questions posed by the narrator before the end credits roll. We’re left pondering our role on this planet, given what we’re capable of, and whether we want to be of service to the 70% of planet Earth we don’t exactly inhabit, but with which we’re nonetheless intertwined.
From Sandbox Films in association with Luna Films and Ngauruhoe Films, How Deep Is Your Love recently premiered at the True/False Film Fest and is continuing its run in March. It will be at the Copenhagen International Film Festival. Learn more at Sandbox Films.
You can view the original article HERE.
