Film Review: Adrift

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin

Director: Baltasar Karmakur

Released: 2018

Genre: Action/Drama/ Thriller/ Biography

Box Office: $59.9 million

Released in 2018, this was a film that grabbed my attention but I never got around to seeing it until just this week, and I’m so glad I did.

The film tells the true story of Tami Oldham and how she tried to survive at sea through one of the worst hurricanes on record.

I’ll admit when I first put the film on I wasn’t expecting to much, but I was definitely wrong! This film had it all, there were times I was laughing, times I was crying, we get to see a love story unfold as well as many suspenseful action sequences.

I like that the film wasn’t shown in chronological order and they would have things that were happening on the ship correspondent with flashbacks, so not only are we getting to see the most difficult things they have ever faced but we also get to see how they met and fell in love. I thought this was a really smart and effective way to move the story along.

The camera work on this film was incredible. As suspected there was a lot of underwater work and the visuals are just stunning. The director managed to capture amazing underwater shots whilst still being able to see the emotions on the characters faces. However even the shots that weren’t under water, for example when we first see the boat destroyed and the shot pans out to show how they are in the middle of nowhere, its so simple yet just brilliant.

I 100% feel this is one of Shailene Woodleys best performances. In the film she has to play someone who is living their dream life and enjoying every aspect, then to be playing to someone who is struggling for survival, is scared and unsure what to do and she does both perfectly. She manages to convey a character we love and grow attached too, easily within the first 10 minutes, making the rest of the film even better as we are on the edge of our seats to make sure the character we care about is going to be okay.

My favourite scene are actually two that lead straight into each other. The first is when they are adrift and Tami is sitting playing the guitar and singing softly. As she does this, shots of the boat pan out to show again how they are in the middle of nowhere and all we can hear is her singing, its quite eerie but it also shows her spirits aren’t completely broken and she has hope they will be found. Richard then states he wishes she’d never met him so she wouldn’t be in that situation. She however disagrees saying she wouldn’t have the memories of them and that just shows how much she loves him. However as a tear roles down her cheek it shows the emotional toll this whole ordeal is taking on her. The next scene cuts to before the crash and we see Richard in the same spot singing the same song (which is I hope I don’t fall in love with you, which conveys what Richard really said when he wished he hadn’t put her in that situation), however this time just for some fun which is a very good comparison. He then goes in and speaks to Tami and they begin to talk about his late mother and he accidentally asks her to marry him, however once he realises he quickly starts again, with a ring he has made and a beautiful speech. Throughout it they are both smiling and laughing and it really just warms your heart and makes you yearn for their survival even more.