A nice day for a sail? Not quite.
Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur is no stranger to the survival story genre; he directed 2015’s mountain-expedition-gone-bad thriller Everest, and 2012’s Icelandic-language The Deep, about a fisherman who capsizes before being rescued after six days in the water. That film probably planted the seed for Kormákur to take on Adrift, the film adaptation of Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea, Tami Oldham Ashcroft and Susea McGearhart’s 2002 book about the dire consequences of Hurricane Raymond on a sailing adventure undertaken by Tami and her fiancé Richard Sharp in 1983. Kormákur, working from a screenplay by twin brothers Aaron and Jordan Kandell (Moana) and David Branson Smith (Ingrid Goes West), has succeeded in creating a nerve-wracking, what-would-you-do, visceral sea faring adventure that rises to the top of a fairly crowded field.
That field includes such films as 2013’s stellar All is Lost, 2000’s classic The Perfect Storm, and, especially last year’s serviceable 47 Meters Down, which, thematically is probably most similar to this new entry, even if the plots differ a bit. Adrift doesn’t exactly break any new ground (or water, as it were), but it nonetheless has plenty to offer the fan of old fashioned, lost-at-sea tales. Chief among its strengths is its cast. Shailene Woodley (most recently of Big Little Lies) plays Tami, a restless 23-year-old working in a marina in Tahiti at the film’s start. At the marina she meets Richard (Sam Claflin, My Cousin Rachel; Their Finest), who, though a decade older, is a kindred spirit: he’s a fellow adventure seeker and sailor.
We’re not on land long, though; after getting an offer to sail an older British couple’s yacht from Tahiti to San Diego as a favor, Richard convinces Tami to accompany him, although at that point they’ve only been together a few months (Tami, it turns out, is originally from San Diego). The pair are only a few days into their journey when they get a word that a class four hurricane is headed their way; hoping to avoid it, they alter course, but to no avail. The hurricane strikes with a vengeance, and, after it passes, they are left lost, injured, and without power or radio. Their only hope is to aim for Hawaii – the closest landmass, they estimate – and hope they make it.
Kormákur employs an effective technique of moving back and forth in time between the present day action on the yacht – captioned on screen as “10 days adrift,” “18 days adrift,” etc. – and the recent past, in which we see Tami and Richard’s courtship and their decision to make the trip. Viewing the couple’s early romance, developing bond, and plans for the future only underscores the hopelessness of their current situation.
Aside from a few minor characters in the Tahiti scenes, the film focuses on Tami and Richard almost exclusively, and Woodley and Claflin both are terrific, though Woodley is the stand out. She masterfully conveys the full range of emotions Tami experiences – from the complete joy that comes from being young, free, and in love, to fear, anger, terror, depression, determination and resilience, and back to utter despair. This film cements Woodley’s status as one of the finest young actresses of her generation; we got glimpses of her skill in Big Little Lies and 2013’s The Spectacular Now, but her roles in action-heavy movies like the Allegiant series may have caused audiences to forget what a truly exceptional talent she is; this movie will certainly remind them.
The film also benefits from hauntingly beautiful cinematography from Oscar winning cinematographer Robert Richardson (JFK; The Aviator; Hugo). Picture postcard sunsets and wide, expansive shots of the ship alone on the vast blue ocean mirror the characters’ emotions – as well as our own.
Of course the film does fall prey to one of the common flaws of survival stories like these; some of its dialog is a little cringe worthy. When Richard asks Tami what brought her to Tahiti, for example, she replies, “The wind, I guess.” Even Woodley looks embarrassed at that gem. And, later, describing his love of sailing, Richard tells Tami (with a straight face, no less), “After a few days, I feel reborn.” But hey – a few lines that generate an eye roll or two are a small price to pay for an otherwise thoroughly engrossing, harrowing cinematic sailing experience.
I’ll add that if you haven’t read the book, I would avoid doing so until after you see the film; this story is one that you should go into without knowing the outcome. Suffice to say the writers make up for some of their more clichéd throwaway lines with a fairly well executed plot twist that, while not totally unique, proves powerful, and ultimately satisfying here.
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Adrift opens today at Bay Area theaters.
