Breaking Surface

Ida journeys from Sweden to Norway to visit her sister Tuva and mother Anne. The visit centers on continuing their long-standing December diving ritual, but it also exposes the strain in Ida's marriage and her estrangement from her mother. The setting is charged with holiday expectations and unresolved family tensions.

Anne cannot join the dive because of a bad cold, so Tuva and Ida decide to proceed with their planned dive the next morning. Knut the dog accompanies them into the fjord landscape, providing a quiet companion for the trip. The sisters' uneasy relationship continues to surface as they prepare for the dive.

On the way to the diving beach, they meet a woman whose car has broken down. Tuva helps by putting a jack under the car, but the roadside service arrives just as they would assist, and they drive on. They forget to put the jack back in the trunk, setting a small oversight that will matter later.

The sisters reach the beach chosen for the dive and prepare their equipment for the underwater descent. Tuva, a professional diver, leads Ida through narrow passages and claustrophobic caves, guiding her sister deeper into the fjord. The mood mixes routine with underlying tension.

During the descent, beluga whales surface briefly in front of the sisters and then disappear into the depths. The moment underscores the beauty of the underwater world while foreshadowing danger. The sisters continue the dive with heightened awareness.

Seconds after the whales vanish, an underwater rock slide crashes around them and traps Tuva beneath a heavy boulder. She asks Ida to retrieve the jack from the car trunk to lift the obstacle. The event marks a sudden shift from routine to life-or-death.

Ida surfaces after Tuva's request and is horrified to find that rockfalls have also devastated the surface above. Their equipment and car keys are buried under rocks, making a rescue attempt far more difficult. Knut the dog sits unharmed beside the locked car, unaware of the peril below.

Ida manages to open the car, but the jack is missing from the trunk, removing the crucial tool needed to lift the boulder. The absence creates a critical obstacle in the plan to save Tuva. The sisters face a new, time-sensitive challenge.

A dramatic race against time begins as Tuva lies 33 meters below the surface, her oxygen running out. Ida must confront the impossible task of obtaining the jack and orchestrating a rescue while the clock ticks. The situation heightens the sense of isolation and peril in the fjord.

With the jack missing and time running out, the sisters grapple with a mounting sense of desperation. The environment around them is pressing, and every moment below the surface adds to the uncertainty of Tuva's chances. The scene maintains a tight, urgent mood as the outcome hangs in the balance.