History Main / SymbolicSereneSubmersion

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': The end of episode 9 shows Kyoko and Sayaka submerged in the water, symbolizing their newfound fondness for each other after a few episodes of them not getting along.

%%* The opening of ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' shows an unconscious James Bond falling down a river after a botched mission, which then transitions into the opening credits.

%% Insufficient context. Does the water symbolize anything?
%%

* ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} Twilight: New Moon]]'': After Bella jumps off a sea cliff, she floats limply down through the water and hallucinates [[LoveInterest Edward]] floating beside her. It's not a genuine suicide attempt, but something of a cry for attention symbolizing the depths she is willing to reach for Edward.

* A fairly traditional example occurs in ''Film/YouWereNeverReallyHere'' when the protagonist [[ShellShockedVeteran Joe]] attempts a [[spoiler:SuicideBySea following the murder of his mother]]. The camera holds on him slowly sinking for a long time as he empties his lungs, until a vision of [[DistressedDamsel Nina]] reminds him he still has something to live for and he triumphantly swims back up to the surface. The scene is shot as a heavy contrast between the black depths Joe is sinking into and the golden sunlight shining in from above, symbolically demonstrating the conflict between his suicidal impulses and his desire to do good in the world.

Often a {{Stock Visual Metaphor|s}}. Can result from a SymbolicBaptism, SuicideBySea, or invocation of the RuleOfPool. Compare UnderwaterKiss & PowerFloats, which make use of similar aesthetics, and CandlelitBath & DiveUnderTheExplosion for similar moments of aquatic respite. May overlap with BloodIsSquickerInWater. Contrast HollywoodDrowning, where the submerged individual is anything but calm. See also SuperNotDrowningSkills.

Something about their weightlessness, surrounded by [[MoodLighting calming cool blues]] and muffled sounds, suggests serenity--meditation, incipience, or a similar state of being. [[ElementalMotifs Water tends to be associated with emotion and the subconscious]], and passive immersion can be a way to show a character settling down into their feelings and perhaps returning to a womb-like state. The stillness provides a pause for the audience as well, encouraging them to slow down and reflect on what the submerged character is experiencing.

* Played with in ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'': Cameron is too anxious to swim and sits poised by the side of the pool. However, he eventually lets himself drop into the pool on Ferris's urging . . . only to keep sinking and sinking until Ferris jumps in and grabs him. Cameron ''seems'' serene, but he is actually bordering on catatonic due to being overwhelmed by his own anxiety and fear. But the pool shows how much Cameron needs Ferris and how desperately he also needs to loosen up.

** {{Averted}} in the remake ''Film/LetMeIn''. Rather than remaining underwater for the entirety of the massacre, Owen, confused and frightened, swims up to the surface of the water the instant the bully gripping his hair is killed. He then starts coughing up water and taking in breaths rapidly while covered in blood as the remaining bullies are killed offscreen. The scene is still shown as a SymbolicBaptism and transition for Owen as when he composes himself he's looking up at Abby with a mixture of relief and awe showing the beginning of his new life as Abby's partner.

-->'''Julia:''' Were you left unconscious?
-->'''Ramon:''' No, I was just there . . . face down. Floating. You know, it's true what they say about those that are about to die, that all of a sudden you get to see the most important moments of your life. That happened to me.

** The opening scene is a fantasy sequence showing Elisa's apartment submerged, objects in the room are floating[[note]]Most of these objects are heavier than water and should sink, but it's [[JustifiedTrope justified]] because it's a fantasy sequence[[/note]], and Elisa is sleeping above her couch.

** In the final scene, [[spoiler: Elisa is in a flooded dry dock. Elisa's scars turn into gills, and she hugs the Amphibian Man in a way similar to how she did in her bathroom, this time while clothed.]]

%%* In ''Series/{{Vikings}}'', main character Lagertha's [[spoiler: funeral starts like a classic VikingFuneral and ends with her transition to Valhalla visualized through this trope.]]

* Encouraged (but at the player's discretion) in ''VideoGame/{{INSIDE}}''. After the PlayerCharacter gains his SuperNotDrowningSkills, he traverses many vast, flooded areas, sometimes with fish in them. At any time the player can put down the controller and just watch him float as long as they'd like. This plays with the game's themes of depth, pressure, and control versus surrender.

* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': Undine's The Dream consists of her falling through a space of dimly lit water, inhabited by glowing jellyfish symbolizing the members of Team Alchemical, before falling through the floor and into the mysterious space where the Woman in White resides. This represents her (at the time) passive, non-confrontational personality and status as a support.

[[caption-width-right:250:''[[Music/{{Metric}} When I get to the bottom of it, I sink.]]'']]

While the most common variation is to show or describe the character floating completely motionless, some examples can include slight movement, provided the character is surrendering to, rather than struggling against, the water. The primary appeal of these shots in visual media is that [[RuleOfCool they look really cool]], especially if the character has clothes and/or hair billowing aesthetically around them. Has some inherent {{Fanservice}} [[SexySoakedShirt potential]].

* The "Franchise/KingdomHearts" series is famous for this particularly in the opening movies of a majority of its titles