Beautiful Scenes, Beautiful Acting, Beautiful Film

I admit I am a big fan of “Man v Nature” survival films such as The Perfect Storm, The Shallows and Castaway, so this film is right up my street.

The Director Baltasar Kormákur is no stranger to survival films, as in 2015 he directed Everest, based on the 1996 Everest Disaster, and his latest film, is no exception, it is based on the true story of Tami Oldham and Richard Sharp, who in 1983 were stranded after a storm at sea.

Adrift definitely has its own colour pallet, just as Everest did. Kormákur uses primary colours red and yellow to forecast danger signals, which is striking against the blue and grey background of the ocean. This is similar to Everest where the primary colours are reflected back from the white snow on the mountain.

But it is even used as a warning sign right from the word go.

Another thing I like about this film is that it is not chronological. Even though they filmed it chronologically in editing they jump within the timeline. This gives the effect that the characters are daydreaming about the past, whilst on the boat.

Filming was not an easy, as 90% of the movie was filmed at sea. According to interviews from the cast and crew days began at 4am and people were throwing up. So, the reality was “you’re either sun burnt, sleep deprived, or seasick” as they say in the film!

The cast are fantastic and Shailene Woodley gives a career best performance. You get dragged into the story and really care about the characters, especially when you know this happened.

Like many films there is a twist which would be great if you didn’t know the true story behind it, otherwise it is a little bit lost on you.

Overall, I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

4/5

Director:  ‎Baltasar Kormákur

Cast: ‎Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin

Crew: Aaron and Jordan Kandell (Screenwriters)

Genre: Survival Drama

Rating: 12A