Aussie girl Melissa George stars as Jess, the single mother of an autistic son. She is devoted, comforting him from nightmares and cleaning up his inevitable spills. A weekend sailing with friends and a love interest on his yacht off Florida is just the treat. The general unease gets going right away, with a foreboding invisible knock on her cicada- and sun-kissed bungalow.

Captain Greg (Michael Dorman) wants to get closer to Jess but long-term friends and married couple Sally (Rachael Carpani) and Downey (Henry Nixon) have other plans: they bring Heather (Emma Lung) as part of their yearly attempt at match-making. Greg only has eyes for Jess and Heather has keen eyes for the 18yo boatswain, Victor (Liam Hemsworth).

This group of friends and sexual tension set off into the brilliant sunshine with the promise of “bad but cold” champagne and some light high-sea hijinks. Out of the blue, a weird grey stormfront turns their world (and yacht) upside-down. Rescued by the spooky Aeolus of Miami, they fumble through darkened and abandoned labyrinthine hallways, wondering what on earth is going on. This confusing effect is successfully transmitted to the viewer and I must confess I had to watch it a second time round.

I recommend anyone interested to sit through a second viewing. It is only then that the obsession with detail and minutiae, so crucial to a story such as this, can be appreciated. Christopher Smith wrote and directed this intriguing iterative puzzle. If nothing more, Triangle rewards the fastidious viewer through a series of interlocking fine points, right down to irony-drenched dialogue. The actors are all quite good.

One of the let-downs for me was the obvious lack of budget, as witnessed in the storm scene. I dislike CGI when it is clearly evident. I dislike it all the more when it’s inserted  as an attempt to dazzle us rather than aid the plot or other facets of film storytelling. Frankly, it would be better not to see the capsizing because it’s so clearly fake. Nothing would have been subtracted from my experience had the filmmakers cut from the approaching storm to the sunny calm after: this would have worked better. I only make a fuss because the disc makes a fuss about the special effects.

Among the bonus material is a Storm Featurette, which goes into the digital marvels which remain largely unconvincing, as I said. Other features include a Making Of, Deleted Scenes and also Storyboards. Sound is very good and clear, especially the grand and overwhelming ocean. Perhaps it was my set-up but on some fast-moving scenes there is a weird interlacing video effect, perhaps two or three times throughout the whole film. This is the most minor of distractions imaginable, however.

Australian viewers will notice how familiar everything is. Triangle was shot off the Queensland coast and the streets, houses and even the marina are all our own. The Australians amongst the cast manage well to try and convince us of their Americanness. Personally speaking, the film would have worked just as well had it been set in Australia. But I guess the yearning for a link to the infamous Bermuda Triangle was too strong.

I enjoyed myself, more so during the second viewing. There’s plenty of gore, so be warned. Highly recommended for fans of the supernatural!