At this point, Alan Parkinson may have a stronger grasp on the events and emotions surrounding a 2012 diving accident in the North Sea than he does on those connected to his own life.

Having helmed “Last Breath,” the well-received 2019 documentary that chronicled the accident through archival footage, audio, reconstruction and interviews, Parkinson has returned as the director and co-writer of a dramatization of the ordeal of the same name that surfaces in theaters this week.

It is hardly surprising, then, that the new “Last Breath” has a pseudo-documentary feel, the production prioritizing realism and authenticity in the making of the film.

At about an hour and a half, it is on the thinner side, Parkinson and company providing only the slightest bit of backstory for the diver whose life hangs in the balance for the meaty part of the narrative instead of expanding that in the way you imagine so many other writers and directors may have. The filmmakers were most concerned with capturing the drama of the situation.

Mission accomplished. “Last Breath” is a largely gripping affair.

Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu and Finn Cole comprise an appealing trio as divers Duncan Allcock, Dave Yuasa and Chris Lemons, respectively.

We first meet Cole’s Chris and his fiancee, Morag (Bobby Rainsbury), who’s worried about him taking part in this monthlong job of repairing a pipeline 300 feet below sea level. He assures her that diving that deep into the water is a lot like going into space.

“What’s hilarious,” she says, “is you think I’ll find that comforting.”

Chris will be teamed with a buddy, the good-humored veteran diver Duncan — who’s working his last job, he says, because the company considers him a “relic” and is putting him out to pasture even though he envisioned doing this for another 10 years — and the no-nonsense Dave, whom he knows only from his stellar reputation.

After a few days of decompression in a pod aboard a ship captained by Andre Jenson (a stoic Cliff Curtis), it’s time for the divers to do their thing in an operation run from the bridge by Dive Supervisor Craig (Mark Bonnar).

It’s Duncan’s job to remain in the capsule that’s lowered into the water after sending the suited-up Dave and Chris, tied to the craft by an “umbilical cord,” to the sea floor.

Things quickly go badly for Dave and Chris as violent weather wreaks havoc on the ship. Its navigational system is knocked offline, which results in the boat drifting away from its intended spot.

While Dave gets back to the capsule, Chris’ umbilical cord is snapped. It’s Chris’ job, Dave tells him before they are separated, to get to a specific location where Dave can rescue him. This is IF the ship can get back to the location before Chris runs out of oxygen.

Even if you’ve not seen the documentary, “Last Breath” holds few surprises, but that doesn’t mean the drama is any less intense thanks to Parkinson’s steady direction and the cast’s work. Harrelson (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”), Liu (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”) and Cole (“Peaky Blinders”) carry the load, but Bonnar (“Catastrophe”) is the standout supporting player, as Craig is desperate to do whatever he can to bring Scott back alive while so much is out of his control.

Mostly, though, the recreated situation is the star, with that aforementioned authenticity including scenes being filmed onboard the ship from the real-life occurrence. Cole and Liu underwent what is described in the movie’s production notes as “intensive” scuba training in the dive tank at Malta Film Studios, which served as a hub for the aquatic production and where scenes were filmed at night “to capture the look of the ocean’s floor.”

It’s all convincing.

Parkinson effectively cuts between the drama on the bridge and the drama deep in the water, all of it captured nicely by director of photography Nick Remy Matthews and underwater director of photography Ian Seabrook.

Still, “Last Breath” leaves you wanting something more. Perhaps that is the fleshing out of a character’s backstory that would have informed choices they make during the tense moments when time and oceanic conditions are the enemies.

Then again, Parkinson’s dramatized version of the events and emotions tied this harrowing ordeal, as bare-bones as it is, is worth experiencing.

(“Last Breath” contains brief strong language)

Rated PG-13. At the AMC Boston Common, South Bay Center, Causeway, Alamo Drafthouse Seaport and suburban theaters

Grade: B-