A real hit of the moment on Netflix, “Under the Seine” may surprise with its pitch of a shark which takes up residence in Paris. But the explosive finale is not (completely) far-fetched. Explanations.
In the film Under the Seine, we were able to enjoy the final scene where a charge of explosives is used to destroy the swarm of sharks that Lilith – the killer mako shark of the film – has spawned.
But the explosion triggers a chain reaction with all the shells dating from the Second World War, forgotten at the bottom of the river, which are triggered in turn. Result: all the bridges in Paris blow up, the Seine invades Paris and we have a truly beautiful apocalyptic finale.
We were able to laugh at this grandiose finale. However, this scenario finds a surprising echo in recent discoveries which prove that fiction is not so far from reality.
Real shells in the Seine
This Thursday, June 6, 2024 – the day before the film was put online on Netflix – a shell from the First World War was discovered in Villepinte, in Seine-Saint-Denis, during work near the station, as reported the site News. Quickly identified, this device contained nearly a kilo of explosives and required rapid intervention by deminers to secure the area.
Netflix screenshot
Furthermore, in 2022 in Paris, Quai d’Austerlitz, more than 150 shells dating from the Second World War were recovered by the river brigade of the Police Prefecture, we report Radio France. These discoveries, made using magnet fishing, clearly illustrate that remnants of war are not rare in the Seine, even if this practice remains strongly discouraged for security reasons.
The reality of the shells found in the Seine brings an additional dimension to the final scene of Sous la Seine, where the protagonists face a danger worthy of the end of the world. Xavier Gens’ film is therefore based on a background of historical truth, unlike its mutant shark.
Contacted by us, the Paris Police Prefecture did not respond to our requests to know if the river was surveyed a few days before the aquatic events of the Paris Games…
