Knife in the Water

A couple setting off for a weekend of sailing pick up a young man hitchhiking at the roadside. The husband invites him onto the boat. The film takes place with three people on one boat, almost entirely on the water. The narrative builds no incident; the tension comes wholly from who is trying to prove what to whom, with the husband's constant competing against the younger man as its subject. The knife is not a threat but a way of showing off. It is Roman Polanski's first feature, made in Poland as a Polish production. It was nominated for the foreign film Academy Award. Before watching: for viewers who avoid the director's films because of the accusations against him, this is one of his. It is also very quiet and hard going for anyone waiting for something to happen.