In Matt Devine’s short film, The Unknown Depths, no matter how far we try to run, our path eventually catches up to us. A couple, played by Josie Hung and Juan Sanchez-Molina, are deeply in love. Theirs is a fairy tale romance, but for the lady, her past overwhelms her bliss so much that she cannot be truly happy.
Narrated by Daryl Anthony Harper, The Unknown Depths is a poem about how love and life are interrupted by trauma. As Josie Hung’s character wanders off, lost along a seaside riddled with sinkholes, Juan Sanchez-Molina’s character is left abandoned, wondering where his paramour has gone.
“…wanders off, lost along a seaside riddled with sinkholes…”
Running at just under ten minutes, writer-director Devine beautifully blends his haunting poem with the moving images of the two leads. The male works at a hospital and faces life and death every day. His reality contrasts with hers, as she must walk the line between her present and past.
I will say that the abstract nature of the story was a bit confusing. I’m not certain which point of view the poem took from the beginning. A second viewing helped clear some of it up. This often happens with films that fall on the artistic end of things. As the story rolls, a level of disorientation occurs with audiences, making locking in with it difficult.
You’ve got to find a way of locking the audience into the starting point for your tale before you let them loose into the world of abstraction. That said, Matt Devine’s The Unknown Depths succeeds as a beautiful film that forces its audience to feel and reflect on themes of love and loss.
For screening information, visit The Unknown Depths‘ official website.
