James Cameron Hid a Mindblowing Detail in The Abyss

The Abyss features a mindblowing hidden moment, and fans are only just finding it.

In the final act of director James Cameron’s 1989 underwater thriller, Bud Brigman (Ed Harris) is in the process of giving the one remaining oxygen mask to Lindsey Brigman (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) as the vessel they’re trapped in floods with water.

During this climactic moment, with water splashing all over the lens, the camera operator wipes it down with a cloth - not once, but twice.

Viewers probably didn’t notice it at the time due to the intense drama of the scene. Bud is sacrificing his own life to save the life of his wife, who he’s been arguing with for the entire time. It’s wonderful acting from the pair; it turns out he loved her all along.

Also, it’s hard to believe Cameron would be so brazen as to include a full-on lens wipe in the final cut of a film, which is why you wouldn’t necessarily see it at first. Instead, it looks like a piece of debris or scenery momentarily obscuring the screen.

Twitter user @StephenSeanFord posted the clip on their account, embedded below.