“Mako” is Netflix’s latest film, directed by Mohamed Hesham El-Rashidy, and written by Ahmed Halim, Mohamed Ek Hafnawy, and Mohamed Khaled. The movie stars the likes of Nicholas Mouawed as Sherif Nahy, Murat Yildirim as Murad, Basma as Rana Bhagat, Nahed El Sebai as Gharam, Mohamed Basher as Zeyad, Amr Wahba as Taimur, Sara El Shamy as Asia, and more. “Mako” follows the story of Rana Bhagat, an Egyptian filmmaker who, along with her crew, decides to venture deep into the ocean’s depths to make a documentary to unearth the secrets of the “Salem Express,” a ship that sank decades ago. But their numbers began to shrink as a huge Mako Shark began picking them off one by one.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Mako’ Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Movie?
The movie kicks off with an award ceremony and introduces the audience to Rana Bahgat, a celebrated Egyptian director who won an accolade in the “Best Foreign Feature” category for her documentary. Rana has always been devoted to her work, but during her acceptance speech, she reveals that she’s planning to take some time off for her family, as she loves and misses him dearly. However, this was all a mistake, and the host announces Sherif Nahy, Rana’s husband, as the original winner. Rana had been waiting for this moment all her life, and seeing the prize slip out of her hands, she retreated into isolation. Soon she realizes that it’s folly to cry over spilled milk and decides to focus on what’s ahead. She plans to visit Cairo to hold a meeting with her crew to discuss ideas for her new film and also leaves a message for Khaled asking him to do a maintenance check on all their equipment. Khaled is a drug addict who divides his time between work and addiction. At the meeting, Rana is met with a slew of ideas for her new documentary, ranging from mountain climbers to electronic vapes. However, Gharam caught her interest with a fascinating proposal about making a documentary on the Salem Express. The vessel was a cruise ship that sank in 1991 and claimed the lives of 400 passengers onboard. Afterward, three divers went near the ship 48 hours after it sank. The divers ridiculed and made a mockery out of the deceased with their greed. The raiders made them bleed again to steal their valuables and possessions from their bodies. After the incident, every single boatman refrained from going close to the location where the Salem Express sank. The brave ones who try to venture there either return depressed or do not return at all. Rana found the concept to be engaging and ordered her crew to gather research, cease the equipment rentals, and get ready.
Gharam’s Real Intentions
Rana and her husband, Sherif, aren’t a perfect pair; even though they share the same house, the couple always seems distant. Rana even chides her husband for removing the award poster, calling the move insulting, and blames him for ruining everything. But, in reality, she loves Sherif with all her heart but is having trouble wrapping her head around the fact that the award she worked for her entire life was given to her husband.
Rana’s employee, Taimur, wasn’t able to gather substantial research about the ship other than some fake recordings and the captain’s name, who was onboard the vessel while it kissed the ocean’s bed. Rana advises her crew to get in touch with the survivors and victims’ families. The crew is facing trouble securing required permits since the government banned diving at the wreck a long time ago, so the group, on Gharam’s suggestion, decides to take an unofficial route and enlist the aid of someone well-connected. Gharam, Rana’s new hire, knows an awful lot about the event and the aftermath, hinting at that. Also, her prolonged gaze at Rana and her spouse hints that there’s more than meets the eye. Maybe she took the job for a reason. Maybe Gharam, like the tomb raiders, is looking for something.
The Challenging Dive
“Mako” brings in two fresh characters, Murad and Asia, who’ll sort of act like the group’s tour guides as the group ventures deep inside the blue beast. Murad is an experienced diver and also Rana’s and Sherif’s old acquaintance. Murad briefs everyone about the dive and reveals that the dive is dangerous for amateur divers as the water temperature is very low, the ship is very deep for the scope of diving, and it’s obvious they’ll run into serious issues. Murad advised the crew to stay close so they could communicate and refrain from swimming off and slipping into cabins alone. However, the biggest hurdle the crew will face is “narcosis,” meaning losing consciousness underwater. If one dives at depth for an extended period, one can begin to hallucinate. The group is now faced with the choice of choosing between passion and life, and the crew aligns itself towards the latter. Before sunrise, the group wraps all their gear and boards a zodiac boat that’ll transport them to “Salem Express Wreak.” But Narcosis and temperatures are the least of their problems since the part of the ocean is heavily infested by hungry Mako Sharks as the water has been chummed.
The Mako Shark Attack
The dives begin, and the crew begins to swim toward the sunken vessel with Murad as their guide, and they are amazed by the alluring view. However, their sight-seeing is short-lived, as Murad is ripped to shreds by a giant shark. The attacks send a wave of terror through the group, and the group is forced to enter the sunken ships for shelter but is separated in the ensuing chaos. The crew tries to contact the surface but fails because of heavy interference. The crew makes desperate attempts to return, and Sherif opens a locked cabin, but the rusty steel door breaks, crushing his legs. But sharks aren’t the only ones with sinister intentions, as Sultan wounds the zodiac owner after he tries to contact the coast guard for help. Down there, Sherif had succumbed after losing a lot of blood, and Khaled had slipped into a diabetic coma, leaving Rana no choice but to ascend to the surface.
‘Mako’ Ending Explained – Did Rana And Her Crew Managed To Survive The Mako Shark Attack?
As Gharam predicted, the crew is starting to slip into madness. Zeyad becomes the first one to fall and tries to murder his own brother by unhooking his oxygen tank, but he is interrupted by Taimur. Rana realizes that the only way they can get away from this madness is by killing the shark and luring the beast by spilling her blood. However, it was just a hallucination, as Rana, in reality, is under “narcosis.” But where’s Gharam? Gharam is exploring the wreckage as if nothing has happened. But why? Actually, Gharam was aboard the sinking vessel but was saved by her father, who sacrificed his own life so that his daughter could live. Hours before the ship sank, Gharam locked her sleeping mother in the chamber to protect her but was unable to open the chamber once the ship was flooded with water. Gharam has been living with the guilt of killing her mother his entire life and has planned the entire thing so he can come down here and unite with her deceased family. Even everything she said about the three divers was a lie meant to persuade Rana to take on this project. Her wish is fulfilled, as she’s soon devoured by the shark. Meanwhile, Rana, Asia, Taimur, and Zeyad reunite and plan to share an extra tank to the surface. However, Zeyad has gone mad and fights for the tank. Like Zeyad, Taimur has also lost his mind and killed Khaled for his oxygen tank by throwing him outside the ship to be devoured by the hungry shark. Khaled, who saved Zayed from killing his own brother, murdered his friend just to save his own skin. A struggle ensues between Zeyad and Taimur, and the latter is accidentally killed. With no time left to spare, the crew tries to ascend towards the surface but is killed one by one by the shark. Rana was the only one to survive the ordeal.
“Mako” ends with Rana receiving the award and appreciation she has always craved for her documentary, “The Sinking Ship.” But this time, she is hesitant to accept it since her hunger and greed for recognition have claimed many souls. She has realized that winning and success mean nothing if you don’t have anyone to share them with. Taimur, Murad. Zeyad, Sherif, and Asia weren’t killed by sharks but by Rana’s ambition and greed to become the best. The movie “Mako” is indeed inspired by real events and unearths the tragic story of those onboard “The Salem Express.” In 1991, the Salem Express, captained by Hassan Maro, was scheduled to drop 400 passengers in Safaga and then resume their voyage to Suez. Unfortunately, the ship sank on December 14 around 11:13 after it was damaged by underwater reefs and sharp rocks. A severe storm delayed rescue efforts until the next day. Those onboard were mostly small-scale laborers, tourists, and people returning from Mecca. More than 400 people lost their lives, and the majority of the victims’ bodies still lie at the bottom of the sea.
