Titan: The OceanGate Disaster

What’s it about?

This documentary questions the price of ambition as it follows the OceanGate five-person submersible’s deep-sea dive which ended in tragedy when it imploded during a visit to the Titanic in 2023.

The facts

• Directed by Mark Monroe
• English language, with dubbed versions in: French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Hindi, Hungarian, and Portuguese
• Runtime: 111 minutes

Why did it get this rating?

This film was self-rated by Netflix. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Unsettling content

This documentary follows the tragedy of Oceangate’s Titan tourist submersible which imploded during a deep-sea dive and killed everyone inside. It centres more on the relationships between workers and the organisation’s logistics than the deaths themselves.

The opening scene of the documentary shows real camcorder footage of the moment before the implosion. We see the five people in the submersible becoming distraught as they hear cracks and pops, with intense and suspenseful sound effects, before it cuts to black and it is implied that the submersible imploded.

Depictions of news channels with oxygen countdowns, showing a timer that predicts when they divers would die from running out of oxygen. 

Though the deaths are not seen or described in detail, it is implied that the five individuals most likely died instantaneously from a pressure explosion after the submersible imploded.

During interviews, some of the workers describe how difficult it was working with the Chief Executive Officer of Oceangate, with one man describing him as a “narcissist” and “borderline clinical psychopath.”

Offensive language

This film contains offensive language, with words like “f**k” and “sh*t” heard in voiceovers. The F-word is also shown uncensored in a written text screenshot.

When content stays with you:

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.  

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Brain development – how it works, why it matters