Is Secrets in the Water Based on a True Story?

Divesh Solanki
April 14, 2023

Even in the seemingly happy lives of two best friends in a beach town, harm lurks menacingly around every turn. The book “Secrets in the Water” covers the lives of Mia and Bailey, two closest friends, and the tragic death of Mia serves as a compelling example of how nothing is always as it seems. Laura, Mia’s mother, tries to piece together the events after her daughter’s body washes up on the coast in an effort to identify the murderer. The 2021 film explores twisted machinations and reveals how individuals closest to you may often be the most harmful for you amid secrets, lies, and treachery.

The film, which was directed by Michael Feifer, centres on the hardships of a grieving mother who must come to terms with both the brutality of her daughter’s death and the loss of her daughter. With few resources at her disposal, Laura sets out on her own to investigate the circumstances behind her daughter’s untimely death. The pace shifts to allow drama and thrill to develop as secrets come to light and facts grow too overwhelming to bear. Fans question whether there is any truth to the story as it progresses and details of Mia’s murder start to emerge. If you have the same question, we have the answer. Spoilers follow.

Is Secrets in the Water a True Story?

A actual story served as the inspiration for “Secrets in the Sea.” The suspenseful premise was based on actual events, and Scotty Mullen wrote both the screenplay and the scenario. Although there are no specific people that served as inspiration, a number of stories that made references to killings similar to Mia’s have surfaced in the past, providing writers the creative freedom to develop a plot along these lines. Mia leaves to party with her pals after receiving her acceptance letter to an art school, but she never returns back. The search for Mia starts after Laura, a worried mother, contacts the local sheriff.

As Mia’s body washes up on the strand and chaos breaks out, it was still not too late. Laura asks Bailey, her daughter’s best friend, for assistance in finding the truth when Mia’s covert boyfriend Kleo turns up at her wake. Further truths come to light as the narrative starts to come together and Kleo is held responsible instead of an unidentified criminal. Nevertheless, Kleo’s faked death and Bailey’s envy of Mia are revealed, proving that despite the friendship’s glittering outward appearance, there was actually a lot of treacherous hate between them. Laura discovers that Bailey has no remorse and would commit the same crime again in a heartbeat as she confronts the assassin of her daughter.

Although Mia’s unfortunate demise is given justice in the novel, it also illustrates how frequently we are blind to the truth. Several people have repeatedly met a sad end on similar justifications in a number of real events around the nation. There are several real-life instances that influenced the creation of the novel, from high school students murdering their buddy merely because they didn’t like her to innumerable reports of murders committed under the excuse of envy and contempt.

Many victims, like Mia, do not plan on meeting such an end and are frequently taken by surprise when they are faced by people closest to them. Consequently, the resulting situation affects not only the victims’ families but also the offenders, who now have to face the consequences. Mia’s journey was thus abruptly ended by her closest friend, whose life would have only began with her entrance into an art school. Despite the fact that the movie was based on actual occurrences, the writers and director embellished the characters to highlight the plot and increase the suspense.