Deep Sea
China | Chinese, English subtitles
2023 | 112 Minutes
Director: Tian Xiaopeng
Cast: Wang Tingwen, Su Xin, Yang Ting, Teng Kunixing, Ji Jing
In the more than two decades that I’ve been attending the Fantasia film festival, I don’t seem to have any memory if there ever being a 3D film screening before.
I am one of those that went all-in on that whole 3D blu ray era and still have a 65″ 3D television sat in my bedroom along with a stack of films. All this to say that I was both surprised and bemused to see a 3D film being shown at Fantasia in 2023.
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Haunted by her mother’s abandonment, young Shenxiu is beset by bad dreams. But this nightmare creature, the Hyjinx, is no figment of her imagination. On an ocean cruise with her father and step-family, Shenxiu encounters the Hyjinx as a storm rages, before being cast overboard. Her life is saved, however, by the timely arrival of a submarine – repurposed as a bizarre and wonderful underwater restaurant catering to the denizens of the deep.
The deranged dining spot and its oddball staff and crew are overseen by the manic chef Hanhe, who begrudgingly takes Shenxiu under his wing. She wants to follow the many-eyed Hyjinx to the heart of the ocean, in hopes of finding her mother, but can Shenxiu count on the mercurial madman Hanhe? And can they outrun the terrible monster called the Red Phantom?
Deep Sea is a Chinese animation film, which itself isn’t something we come across every day, and it really feels like a lot of hard work went into making this film stand and stand alone. Director Tian Xiaopeng has made a masterpiece here with Deep Sea.
Off the bat, the animation is gorgeous, using a formidable color palate. The backgrounds in the film often have an oil painting hue and feel to them, which really works towards the beauty and splendor of the piece. Simply put, Deep Sea is unbelievably pretty. Its dreamlike state is vast and easy to get lost in – but perhaps the film focuses too much on its beauty and leaves the story itself a little lacking.
It is a beautiful fil, don’t get me wrong, but at times it tends to drag on. Some segments are longer than they really need to be and while that isn’t a major flaw, it does derail the flow of the film to a certain degree. The upside to that is more time to get lost in the deep and surreal it creates, and I would wager that was the point anyway. To show off the incredible animation.
The bright and colorful palette helps the 3D portion of the film really pop out, and submerge the viewer in a glorious otherworldly escape. I couldn’t help but wonder what a 4K 3D home theater set-up might be like, but I’m not sure if the physical media market is strong enough to support another attempt at bringing 3D films into the homestead. More and more, it seems that streaming platforms and struggling and failing, and like music, I hope people consider returning to physical media again.
As I sat there, in awe of what I was witnessing, I tried to imagine what this film might look like on a streaming service, without it being in 3D – and I’m not sure what to think. Could a film like this survive on its tradition animated merits or is its strength truly in the 3D presentation itself? It’s hard to say with any certainty. Perhaps we that saw the film at Fantasia film festival are among the very few that will get to see it in 3D in North America – I hope not.
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All of a sudden, the beautifully colorful and vibrant film comes crashing down, as the story takes an unbelievably sad twist that jolts its audience back to reality in a brutal manor. A coming-of-age tale with an all too serious conclusion that, frankly, I wasn’t expecting. People around me began to cry as the film reaches an emotional climax that left the cinema gasping for air, seriously winded by the gut-punch it just endured.
Deep Sea is an incredibly cinematic experience that really deserves to be seen in 3D, the way it was intended.
