50 years after “Jaws” made shark horror its own subgenre comes the French film “Under Paris” (French: Sous la Seine). The Netflix produced film dropped in June of 2024, and was directed by Xavier Gens, who also served as one of the co-writers.
“Under Paris” runs the range of prescient realism to absurd asininities by the end. I watched it without being bored so there’s that. It’s 101 minutes with an overall result that’s goofy but then again, most shark movies are. The question begs. Can the French do horror as well as they do wine?
Bérénice Bejo stars as Sophia, a Marine Biologist type who we first meet on an ocean cleaning expedition. It seems scientific as Sophia instructs her team of divers, attempting to untangle a baby whale from debris. Bejo is solid in the lead role. Sophia is a character who loves sharks and has been traumatized by them. She’s invested in her job and the safety of others, despite the obstacles that stand in her way.
Creepy Visuals
The early cinematography is quite chilling. There are several underwater shots that look realistic. We see Sophia and various divers getting too close to sharks for comfort. Another early scene shows the POV of a diver in murky water. We know there’s a shark lurking, but the visibility is handicapped, and it makes for perfect tension.
Another great moment occurs when multiple people fall into the water, and Xavier Gens captures chaos perfectly. The best moments occur in the first half of the film.
The Marinists are tracking a shark that has grown impossibly large and has somehow entered The Seine—a river running through the heart of Paris. In “Jaws” style, the mayor—played by the beautiful Anne Marivin—is a cartoonish villain obsessed with Paris looking good for an upcoming triathlon and of course has no concern for the shark. Sophia must race against the clock. Get the shark out of the Seine before thousands of swimmers become breakfast.
Humans are the Worst!
There’s a moderate dumping of science at the beginning. Pollution is bad, human beings are the worst. Look at what could happen.
Legitimacy bows out by the third act when the sharks do un-sharklike things and the body and severed limb count skyrockets. Some characters try to out-environmentalist the others by putting Sophia in danger for the safety of the shark. The horror comes from lots of jump scares accompanied by harsh music stabs.
“Under Paris” should not be confused with “Jaws.” It’s a modern shark frenzy horror film that has little substance and a lot of ridiculousness. The film is dubbed in English, which can be distracting. Here, I found it easy to follow with no outlandish misses. I think it comes down to what you would expect from this type of movie.
