The Surface

The Surface is the story of Mitch (Sean Astin) and Kelly (Chris Mulkey), two strangers, both at the end of their rope, who suddenly meet in the middle of the unpredictable waters of Lake Michigan. Through desperation, and hope, they begin to lean on each other as they struggle to stay alive. Mitch (Sean Astin) begins this day with a visit to his mother, confined to a nursing home with dementia, before motoring out to sea in his late father’s 70’s era boat for a journey to the center of Lake Michigan. As he settles in for what he envisions as a solitary final ride, Mitch’s vessel collides with the wreckage of a small plane, knocking off his propeller and stranding him in the midst of the vast body of water. As the tiny boat drifts, Mitch discovers Kelly (Chris Mulkey), the plane’s pilot, still clinging to the debris, and pulls the severely injured man out of the water. Instead of being grateful, Kelly is angry and suspicious, treating his rescuer like an adversary and aggressively protecting a mysterious backpack. Out of cell phone range and taking on water, the two men begin to reveal their real reasons for being on the lake that day. As they confront the secrets and sorrows that brought them there, they find inspiration in one another’s struggle to survive.