At its core, the film dramatizes the real-life rivalry between two legendary divers: Jacques Mayol (Jean-Marc Barr) and Enzo Maiorca (renamed Enzo Molinari in the film and played by Jean Reno). Besson frames their competition not as a simple quest for gold, but as a clash of philosophies. Enzo is the boisterous, earthly ego—a man who dives to prove he is the best. Jacques, conversely, is a quiet, ethereal figure who feels more at home among dolphins than humans. For Jacques, the descent into the abyss is a spiritual homecoming, a journey away from a world he finds increasingly alien.
The film’s visual language is its strongest asset. Working with cinematographer Carlo Varini, Besson captures the Mediterranean and the deep Pacific with a shimmering, meditative beauty. The underwater sequences are paced with a deliberate slowness that mimics the physiological effects of diving, pulling the audience into the same trance-like state experienced by the protagonists. This immersion is anchored by Eric Serra’s ambient, synthesizer-heavy soundtrack, which serves as the emotional heartbeat of the film, blending mechanical pulses with whale-like echoes. The Big Blue (1988)
The narrative tension is heightened by the presence of Johana (Rosanna Arquette), an insurance investigator who falls in love with Jacques. Her character represents the "surface world"—warmth, family, and grounded reality. Her struggle to pull Jacques back from the depths provides the film’s tragic emotional weight. As Jacques pushes his body beyond human limits, it becomes clear that his ultimate goal isn’t a world record, but a total union with the sea, even at the cost of his own life. At its core, the film dramatizes the real-life