Thrash is here to induce your fear of sharks and impending climate change.

The Netflix thriller, written and directed by Tommy Wirkola, takes the Jaws approach in keeping viewers on the edge of their seats, while posing questions about humanity.

“Tommy’s known for these kinds of movies,” Phoebe Dynevor, who stars as Lisa, a newly single, nine-months pregnant woman trapped in her car following a massive Category 5 hurricane that brings hungry sharks into the flooded South Carolina town she resides in, told Blavity’s Shadow and Act.

“There’s the element of gore. There’s an element of comedy, and definitely, you’re on the edge of your seat,” Dynevor continued. “Shark movies really have an audience, and this one, it’s hurricanes and sharks, and there’s some real-world elements to this film. You know that the weather is something that’s causing a lot of damage to our world, and is caused by humans, by our own impact. So, there’s a lot of real-life consequences that are happening in this movie, and the sharks are the fun part, I would say.”

Whitney Peak showcases vulnerability and strength as Dakota

The complexity of her character, Dakota, an agoraphobic young woman, is what drew Whitney Peak to the script in the first place, but breathing life into her was a different ball game.

Peak shared that Dakota is someone who feels so much, but she doesn’t know how to give herself room to express herself or to let it out.

“And she’s dealt with so much,” she added before mentioning that she and Wirkola discussed Dakota’s experiences before the film’s events transpire “to build her up and then get her to a point where she’s able to say, ‘F**k it,’ and then go out and try to fight some sharks.”

An eye-opening approach to the effects of climate change

For Djimon Hounsou, bringing authenticity to Dale, Dakota’s marine research uncle, was a no-brainer, given his personal fight to raise awareness of the global impact of climate change.

He mentioned that he had opened a 2009 United Nations summit talking about climate change, global warming and the impact that fossil fuel use is causing such a dramatic change in our weather patterns.

“That was a rude awakening for me to understand how much we’ve contributed to this devastating weather,” Hounsou reflected.

“Pretty much around the world, there are so many countries that are suffering from it today, and so that was very realistic to me, and Tommy was able to capture that and insert that into the story here. Of course, I didn’t think about my ability of not — my lack of swimming at the time, but I also quickly realized I didn’t have to swim, right?” he continued. “I didn’t have to get into the water, which was a huge plus, but I mean it really was my awareness of the damage we’re causing.”

Thrash is now streaming on Netflix.