“Adrift” is based on the true story of two people, who get stranded in the Pacific Ocean in 1983. I’ve never heard of this story, but the movie uses their real names Tami Oldham and Richard Sharp, and they’re portrayed wonderfully by Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin.
The movie shows us how they met. Tami moves from San Diego to Tahiti, and meets the English adventurer Richard, who tells her he built his yacht by hand. It’s love at first sight and eventually, they find themselves caught in the storm, and lost at sea. It jumps back and forth from their dates to the aftermath of their horrible nightmare, when Tami has to patch the boat up a bit, while Richard gets badly injured. Their best bet is to land in Hawaii.
It makes sense when movies splice two moments together. It doesn’t make itself feel all time consuming, and it holds the balance of survival and romance. In fact, we learn some things about the two lovers.
There are parts that drag on and what I didn’t fully understand; but for what it’s worth, “Adrift” is gripping. It shows us the hardships of being stranded out at sea, and how the two lovers struggle for survival. Woodley and Claflin both give such fine performances, whether they’re madly in love, or miserable out at sea.
I’ve seen other movies of its kind this decade, like “All is Lost” with Robert Redford using very little dialogue, being he was all alone, and “Life of Pi,” which showed use the relationship between an Indian boy and a tiger trapped on a life boat. And all these movies convince us with how their characters struggle to survive.
Directed by Baltasar Kormakur (“2 Guns”), and written by David Branson Smith and Aaron & Jordan Kandell, the movie keeps your interests up without seeming like the typical love story. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story, and again I am, too, it’s ends up being unpredictable-the question on whether they both live or at least one lives. Either way, you find out for sure. But if you do know the story, please let me know. My comments section is always opened.
It’s also great looking with not just the emotions, but also the scenery. The oceans, which the two characters both sail and get stranded on, the rivers, which they swim in, and the Fiji locations, which look so radiant and full of life. They remind you of one of those Hawaiian ads, only this one you actually care about.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
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