Descent Review – A Dead-Cold Reflection

Descent is a beautiful film.

It follows professional free diver Kiki Bosch as she free dives in the coldest water possible. Taking one deep breath, and without a wetsuit, Kiki delves into the depths of the frozen lakes of Finland or the iceberg fjords of Greenland.

It’s an amazing and frightening skill, and it is exactly that. As Kiki has trained incredibly hard to be able to do what she does.

From the beginning of Descent, it is clear that she is one of a kind. Strong and resilient. Throughout the documentary, Kiki tells her story and it’s, at times, as horrifying as it is marvelous, but it’s all engaging. Freediving in freezing cold waters has not only challenged Kiki physically, but it’s also helped heal her deep scars.

Between Kiki recounting her story, remarkable cinematography shows Kiki diving under ice, with every chance she could get lost under the ice caps and be unable to surface, along with close encounters with death on film sets. This combined with her compelling words, make Descent a documentary that is well worth a look.

Directed by: Nays Baghai

Travis Akbar

Travis grew up on the west coast of South Australia and has been interested in film since seeing Jurassic Park and Predator for the first time in the mid-nineties. Particularly fond of the action and thriller genres, he met his long-time idol, Jean Claude Van Damme, in 2016, talking with 'the muscles from Brussels' about his upcoming films and the hurdles he has faced in the entertainment industry. Some of his favourite films include Jurassic Park, The Salton Sea, Apt Pupil and Any Given Sunday. Travis loves the way a film can make people feel such a diverse range of emotions, from excitement and happiness to fear and sadness. He believes that creativity is what helps the world evolve and that the arts, is the centre of creativity.

Liked it? Take a second to support The Curb on Patreon
Become a patron at Patreon!
More Stories
Sundance Review – Sally Aitken’s Every Little Thing is a Tender Ode to Life and Death Through the Prism of Hummingbird Rescue