REVIEW: Sundance hit ‘The Sharks’
Photo: The Sharks stars Romina Bentancur as 14-year-old Rosina. Photo courtesy of Breaking Glass Pictures / Provided with permission.
The Sharks, the new coming-of-age drama from director Lucía Garibaldi, follows a 14-year-old girl who lives in a beach town in Uruguay and how she reacts to changes in her life and the life of the community. Although the title of the film promises a Jaws-like thriller, The Sharks uses the finned fish as a metaphor for different characters and plot points within the 80-minute feature.
Newcomer Romina Bentancur stars as Rosina, the main protagonist who sees a shark while looking out at the ocean in the opening minutes of the film. This causes panic amongst her neighbors, who band together to go out and shoot the predators, lest they lose business during the busy tourist season.
While the men head for the waters, Rosina heads to work, helping her father’s landscaping and maintenance business and getting to know some of his employees. In this setting, Rosina meets Joselo (Federico Morosini), an older boy she immediately likes, and a budding romance begins — even though Rosina is underage, and Joselo doesn’t seem that interested.
Watching the character of Rosina live and learn, be hurt and be exploited makes The Sharks a powerful film with a deep understanding of its main character and the world she inhabits. She never leaves the screen throughout the entirety of the picture, and the audience, after spending so much time with her, truly gets to know how she feels, how she thinks and where her journey is headed. It’s remarkable that this characterization comes through so strongly because Rosina is a quiet teenager, hardly uttering a word. The fact that she still resonates is a credit to Bentancur’s performance and the intricate artistry of Garibaldi, who not only directed but also wrote the script.
There are times when The Sharks, which is now available on VOD and DVD from Breaking Glass Pictures, feels like it’s going through the tried-and-true cycle of other coming-of stories, and this sometimes hurts its impact on the audience. Then again, the uncertainty of youth presents a few surprises in how Rosina interacts with her family, friends and even a pet dog that she intentionally lets go astray; how she survives and thrives in these adolescent years is never boring.
The atmosphere that is captured by Garibaldi is much appreciated (and was appreciated by the Sundance Film Festival, where she took home a top directing prize). There’s a rugged, almost raw reality to the scenes of Rosina’s home life, especially when compared to the well-to-do families her father caters to in the nicer part of town. There are also numerous shots dripping with authenticity of the sandy local roads and the paradisal beach — but, much like everyday life for Rosina, potential dangers are swimming right beneath the surface.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Sharks (2019). Written and directed by Lucía Garibaldi. Starring Romina Bentancur, Federico Morosini and Fabián Arenillas. Running time: 80 minutes. Rating: 
