Row Review: Matthew Losasso’s Otherwise Lengthy Debut Feature Boasts a Better-Than-Expected Technical Showcase and Deliberately Staged Atmospheric Thrills

Row is a psychological thriller set primarily at sea. Aboard a rowing boat, to be exact, and it clocks in at around two hours long. It makes me wonder if Matthew Losasso, marking his feature-length directorial debut, has enough storytelling hooks and energy to sustain the momentum. Besides, notable small-scale sea-based thrillers like Knife in the Water and Dead Calm benefit from their minimalist, claustrophobic tension and economical runtime around 90-100 minutes.

For Row, the movie gets off to a promising start: a sight of a rowing boat in the middle of the ocean with a bloodied deck, two dead bodies, and a traumatised young woman holding a knife with her hands noticeably shaking. The woman in question is Megan (Bella Dayne), who later finds herself waking up in a bed in a room. She’s in a guesthouse somewhere on the remote Scottish island.

A police inspector (Tam Dean Burn) is by her bedside and wants to question her about the incident. Then, the extended flashbacks take place, going back and forth between the former and the present setting. The first hour shows some potential here that keeps me engaged with the story. We first see Megan join her friend Lexi (Sophie Skelton) along with two men — team captain Daniel (Akshay Khanna) and crewmate Mike (Nick Skaugen) — as they hop aboard their small rowing vessel on a mission for a record-breaking attempt to cross the trans-Atlantic from Newfoundland to Ireland in 28 days.

Lexi’s boyfriend, Adam (Mark Strepan), is originally supposed to be part of the crew, only to be replaced by Mike at the last minute due to injury. Everything seems to be going well at first as they begin to set sail. But it doesn’t take long before the crack starts to show within their team spirit. This is especially true with Daniel, who grows increasingly tyrannical about how things should be done throughout their long voyage.

From here, credits go to Losasso for building the slow-burning dread as trust and confidence are severely tested, particularly after their voyage is hampered by the malfunctioned rudder due to the suspiciously stuck hairband. As if the situation isn’t frustrating enough, there goes Mike, whose seasick condition forces him to take a break from rowing the oars for the time being. Despite the setbacks, Daniel insists they still can break the record, and all he needs is everyone to push harder.

Except that the tension keeps mounting as days go by, while overcoming the elements from the stormy weather to the rough sea. The crew grows even irritated and even starts doubting each other, like when one of them discovers their rations, supposedly meant to last for the whole voyage, are significantly reduced. Is someone amongst them trying to sabotage the journey? Or is it the psychological cause of cabin fever that leads to anxiety and overthinking?

For a while there, Losasso does a good job making use of the vessel’s tight and narrow space to evoke an escalating sense of dread and claustrophobia. It also helps that the movie blends its on-location shoot at sea with a custom-made water tank and sound stage for both exterior and interior sequences — all seamlessly integrated to capture the seemingly endless wide open sea and the tight confines of the rowing vessel. At one point, there’s a brief but effectively rendered CGI raging storm, while Losasso’s deliberate camerawork, varying from close-ups to sky-high drone shots, along with Zoran Veljkovic’s atmospheric cinematography, round up the overall technical proficiency in this movie.

However, as the movie progresses with the wobbly second half and a subsequent attempt to stretch the storyline, it starts to go adrift. This, in turn, jeopardises the momentum while the pace lags. The movie then culminates in an underwhelming third act with a somewhat anticlimactic payoff. If only Losasso tightens the screws and doesn’t get too overwhelmed with his ambition, Row would have been a solid little thriller. That’s a pity because I was intrigued by the absorbing first half, while the performances, particularly standouts including Bella Dayne and Sophie Skelton, equally excel in their roles.

Row will be in UK cinemas from 29th August.