The Bay (film)
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| The Bay | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical film poster | |
| Directed by | Barry Levinson |
| Screenplay by | Michael Wallach |
| Story by | Barry Levinson Michael Wallach |
| Produced by | Barry Levison Jason Blum Steven Schneider Oren Peli |
| Starring | Will Rogers Kristen Connolly Kether Donohue Frank Deal Stephen Nunken Christopher Denham Nansi Aluka |
| Cinematography | Josh Nussbaum |
| Edited by | Aaron Yanes |
| Music by | Marcelo Zarvos |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Lionsgate Roadside Attractions |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $30,668[1] |
The Bay is a 2012 American horror film shot in the "found footage" style, directed by Barry Levinson and written by Michael Wallach. It premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in theaters on November 2, 2012.[2]
Plot
On the Fourth of July of 2009, a seaside Chesapeake Bay town nestled on Maryland's Eastern Shore thrives on water. When two researchers find a staggering level of toxicity in the water, they attempt to alert the mayor, but he refuses to take action fearing that he will create a panic. As a result, a deadly plague is unleashed, turning humans into hosts for a deadly, mutant breed of the parasite Cymothoa exigua.
The entire town is overwhelmed by chaos as these aggressive creatures start infecting the people one by one. This spins off into several stories. The most prominent is that of a young inexperienced news reporter and her cameraman, who are in the town to report on the 4th of July festivities. She also explains the occurrences as the movie proceeds in an off-scene personal recording. The other stories include two oceanographers who first discovered the parasites, two on-duty police deputies investigating a residential area, a young unsuspecting couple taking a last swim, a teenage girl using FaceTime to send a desperate message to a friend, a doctor who informs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the developing situation at the local hospital and, among others, a young married couple with an infant aboard a vessel who sail towards their family's home to reunite for the holidays, unaware of the horrific events unfolding on the mainland.
Cast
- Kether Donohue as Donna Thompson
- Kristen Connolly as Stephanie
- Anthony Reynolds as Steve Slattery – Homeland Security Officer
- Michael Beasley as Officer Jimson
- Jane McNeill as Victim #1
Reception
The film has received mostly positive reviews from critics, with a 76% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 70 reviews. The Consensus states that "Barry Levinson's eco-horror flick cleverly utilizes familiar found-footage methods in service of a gruesome yet atmospheric chiller". It draws a score of 65 on Metacritic, indicating generally favourable reviews. One particularly praising piece of feedback came from David Cox of The Guardian, who awarded the film 5 out of 5 stars and called it a "horror film for grown ups". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, however, was less positive, awarding the film a more average 2.5 out of a possible 4, stating "Although there are some scary moments here, and a lot of gruesome ones, this isn't a horror film so much as a faux eco-documentary".[citation needed]