Clinging to life in a cell in Africa, James is brutally interrogated by jihadis. Worlds away, Danielle prepares to descend into the Arctic Sea. Facing life-or-death ordeals, they must rely on their deep emotional connection.
Despite their strong performances, McAvoy and Vikander are unable to save this sinking ship of a film. Ultimately, we are sadly left with an average movie that leaves viewers feeling disappointed and unsatisfied.
Much of "Submergence" remains frustratingly inert and vague, as though the helmer never wanted to commit to a single idea, instead offering several half-baked concepts with hopes something might stick.
Submergence - despite much lovesick gravitas from its two leads - never quite coalesces into the epic romance that it should. It fizzles when it should ignite, leaving the viewer with a palpable yearning for something other than a shrug.
Submergence lives only pending its rigor, its strange and pompous efforts of abstraction. And, of course, it runs out. There is no air left. [Full Review in Spanish]
Despite the potent raw material at his disposal, Wenders listlessly flips back and forth between the two backdrops, allowing any remaining element of dramatic tension to slowly seep out along the way.