Under the Seine: How Much Is Netflix’s Shark Movie Worth?

What is it about?

In the summer of 2024, Paris will host the Triathlon World Championships on the Seine for the first time. Sophia, a brilliant scientist, is warned by Mika, a young environmental activist, about the presence of a large shark deep in the river.

They have no choice but to team up with Adil, the river police chief, to prevent bloodshed in the heart of the city.

Sous la Seine, a film directed by Xavier Gens and written by Yannick Dahan, Maud Heiwang and Xavier Gens with Berenice Bejos, Naseem Lies, Léa Levian, Timmy-Joy Marbot…

who is he with

Berenice Bejo (The Artist, The Separation) stars as Sophia, a brilliant scientist who dedicates her career to the study of large sharks. Set before the events in Paris, Sofia loses her entire team – including her husband, played by Yannick Koirat – during an expedition in the middle of the 7th continent, an ocean of plastic six times the size of France.

And this tragedy is caused by a fatal encounter with Lilith, a mako shark that eats everything in its path.

Berenice opposite Léa Leviant (seen in Mortel) who plays a young Mika who reminds us a lot of Greta Thunberg. Devoted to the environmental cause in spirit and body, Mika is part of a group of activists who monitor large tagged sharks and deactivate them when they think they are in danger.

Such would be the case with Lilith, the famous shark that roams the Seine in Paris.

This is where Nasim Lies operates. He plays Adil, the head of the river police. Initially incredulous at the theory that a mako shark is prowling the waters of the Seine, Adil is quickly forced to face the facts.

Despite opposing approaches, he will have to find a way to work with Sofia and Mika to keep Lilith from getting massacred.

Note the irresistible participation of Anna Marivin, who plays the mayor of Paris. A real parodic moment, but one that quite demeans another female politician, head of the Ile-de-France region.

Is it worth checking out?

With Sous la Seine, Xavier Gens delivers the film that became a hit on Netflix. Between its incredible pitch, its two headliners and the promise of a great French show, Sous la Seine presents an unstoppable recipe for generating buzz.

The release date – two months before the Paris Games – also seems to be conscientiously chosen by the platform to attract followers before the swimming events are due to take place in the Seine.

There’s no need to stifle the idea that such a predator could seem plausible in the waters of Paris, Xavier Gens fully embraces the concept, clearly aiming for popular entertainment while returning to his roots as a filmmaker obsessed with genre films.

His work does not shrink from offering an impressive visual spectacle, risking sharp teeth and effective special effects in tense action scenes to immerse the audience in agony.

Beyond its sometimes grandiose aspect, the film does feature an environmental dimension, admittedly clumsy but not insignificant. Through the story of Sofia and Mika, two women united in the fight against a deadly and unexpected threat, Sous La Seine raises pertinent questions about the effects of global warming and the relationship between man and nature in general.

The film clearly shows that human actions, represented here by the arrival of a shark in an urban environment, can have disastrous and unintended consequences. This is how a feature film goes from a shark movie to a shark revenge movie!

Car Sous la Seine aims to get society thinking about crucial environmental issues. A true genre film that combines action, gore and adventure in the sublime setting of Paris, it centers around the – quite magnetic, it must be said – presence of Lilith, this mako shark who clearly has a grudge against humans.

We’re also surprised to see that Xavier Gens doesn’t shy away from the shark confrontation scenes where he could have played the avoidance or suggestion card. Lilith is truly a character in her own right.

In short, Sous la Seine is more than just an action thriller. It is a modern fable, told with tense scenes and lots of special effects. It is up to the viewers to reflect further, if they wish, on our responsibility towards our environment.

Under the Seine is currently available on Netflix.