12 Feet Deep is a 2017 drama/thriller hybrid film directed by Matt Eskandari (of Trauma Center). It follows two sisters (Nora-Jane Noone and Alexandra Park) who get trapped beneath a pool cover.
This movie has examples of:
- Anti-Villain: Clara is an ex-con who desperately needs money to support herself and her kids. She decides to take advantage of the situation and extort Bree and Jonna for money under the threat of leaving them to die. She does show some signs of reluctance and does shut off the pool cleaning machine after hearing the sisters scream in horror for a while. She does have some shred of decency in her and feels awful for leaving them to die. Up until the end, never actually intends for them to die.
- Based on a Great Big Lie: The film is advertised as being based on a true story. In truth, it is not actually based on any specific event in real life, although it is inspired by similar events dealing with pools.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Clara inflicts this on the sisters using the pool cleaning machine after Jonna stabs her in the ear. She stops after a crisis of conscience.
- Contrived Coincidence: The whole film happens because Jonna throws Bree's engagement ring in the pool, and then both sisters just HAD to go back into the pool to retrieve the ring. If one of them had done it in her own while the other sister stayed out of the pool, they could have kept the rest of the movie from happening.
- Dirty Coward: Clara leaves the sisters to die when she realizes she can't free them on her own, refusing to get help under the possibility that the sisters could reveal the fact that she extorted them and her being sent back to prison.
- Ear Ache: Jonna stabs Clara in the left ear after tricking her into putting her ear to the hole in the pool cover to try and hear her.
- Even Evil Has Standards: While she is a complete bitch and greedy Dirty Coward, Clara doesn't actually want Bree and Jonna to die and occasionally makes half-hearted attempts to free them.
- Everybody Lives: Nobody dies in the movie, not even Clara.
- Failed a Spot Check: The girls get trapped because the owner of the aquatic center didn't check to see if they were underneath the water instead of out of the area completely. In his defense, he told them to leave, they were already out of the pool when he last saw them, and he had no reason to believe they would go back in.
- Freudian Excuse: Clara just got out of prison and is having trouble getting money to support herself and her kids. She is desperate for money and will take any chance she has.
- Jerkass: Clara is a thief who is willing to take advantage of the trapped sisters and blackmail them for money under the threat of leaving them to die.
- Karma Houdini: Clara is Easily Forgiven by Jonna for extorting her and Bree, torturing them with the pool cleaning machine, and leaving them to die. She gives back Bree's engagement ring and apologizes, so Jonna agrees not to tell the police since Clara's family is in desperate need of money.
- Minimalist Cast:`The only real characters are Bree, Jonna, Clara, the owner of the aquatic center, and Bree's boyfriend David. The owner only appears at the beginning while David only appears via voice messages and photos, as well as a dream Bree has at one point.
