After the Storm (2001)

A short story by legendary adventurer Ernest Hemingway serves as the explosive basis for AFTER THE STORM. Benjamin Bratt stars as Arno, a former city slicker who has fled the financial turmoil of the 1930s to live a simple life of scavenging and fishing on the beaches of a secluded island in the Bahamas. His simple life is changed drastically when he surreptitiously discovers a sunken ship with a cargo consisting of jewels and gold. But, despite his seeming good fortune, Arno and his girlfriend, Coquina, find themselves sinking into a world of deception and guilt as they realize that fellow scavengers Jean-Pierre (Armande Assante) and his wife, Janine, are just as hungry for the loot. The two couples begin the task of excavating the booty, but the mission is fraught with danger as each party distrusts the other. It is not long before Arno's love for Coquina is replaced by greed and paranoia, and it seems that he will turn against everyone, even her, to keep the riches for himself. This adaptation of Hemingway's rugged and psychologically complex tale is a taut chamber drama of love, lust, and madness over money with an underlying cautionary message.