Adrift

Adrift (2018)




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Starring: Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin

Let me start by saying: Adrift is a powerful movie. It will stay with you long after it is over. I was completely surprised by how moved I felt at the end and how many emotions it raised in me.

Adrift is the story of Tami and Richard, who met while sailing in the South Pacific, as they sail a friend's boat across the Pacific Ocean. There is a massive storm (Hurricane Raymond) they try to avoid but are unsuccessful. The ship is damaged, the mast broken and the sail torn; they are adrift.

This will be a shorter review because I won't spoil any plot details. I went in knowing exactly as much as I've outlined above and I think you should, too.

The story is told in two parts: before the storm and after the storm. We switch between flashbacks to events that Tami is remembering before she and Richard began their trip from Tahiti to California and events in the present. As the story progresses, we start to see the traces of their earlier experiences: we see where she got a dress, why he uses a particular phrase, or how to perform a task. I found it to be a very effective method of making the audience care about the characters. If I had seen the events happen in chronological order, I don't think that I would have been as affected. The story shows you the struggle to survive, it also shows you how far the characters have come and how deep they are digging to find that previously unknown reserve of strength.

Tami and Richard are accomplished sailors. They have many years of experience between them and have every confidence that they can sail across the Pacific Ocean. And in any other year, they would have been successful. In any other year, this story has a completely different ending. In any other year, this story would not have the emotional impact and resonance that it does.

Go watch Adrift. Both Sam Claflin and Shailene Woodley are great but Woodley herself is absolutely  compelling as Tami. Leave yourself some time to process after it's over, too. I know I needed it.