Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
Director: Baltasar Komakur, STX Entertainment, M 96 Minutes.
Icelandic director Baltasar Komakur is no stranger to making engrossing movies based on factual events such as his drama-filled action adventure ‘Everest’, with his latest film focusing on the likely survivability of a lone yachtswoman facing insurmountable odds.
The dramatic opening scenes indicate that this is another survival story like Robert Redford’s ‘All is Lost’ but this time the character is female pleasure-seeker Tami Oldham (Shailene Woodley –‘Divergent’ franchise) having arrived in Tahiti in 1983 for a holiday.
On meeting the adventurous young yachtsman Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin –‘Their Finest’) Tami later becomes romantically involved with him before taking a lengthy sea journey after Richard agrees to sail a wealthy associate’s luxury yacht back to San Diego.
However, halfway through the voyage their happiness is interrupted by horrific hurricane-like storms that severely damage the yacht, hurling Richard into the squally sea until Tami manages to locate him clinging to an upturned dinghy.
It is after Tami gets Richard back on board the badly damaged boat now drifting aimlessly in the sea that she learns of the severity of his injuries with their situation made worse by the scarcity of food.
As each day passes, the prospect of starvation looms large despite Tami’s determination to catch fish by plunging into the sea, making her realise that the likelihood of both being rescued by a nearby ship was a remote possibility.
Komakur’s adaptation of Tami Oldham’s true story based on her book of the same name is an excruciating experience and at times difficult to watch, especially those scenes with Richard where Tami sees little hope in his survival.
In spite of the difficult storyline the director does attempt to infuse some stimulation by showing the young couple in flashback scenes enjoying their Tahitian surrounds unaware of the fate that awaits them.
Although there are essentially two actors sharing the screen it is Woodley’s physically-demanding role and her powerful performance as the courageous never-say-die yachtswoman that is the major drawcard in this emotionally-draining production in which she is also a producer.
Vic’s Verdict: 3 Stars
