Adrift, the latest outing from Everest director Baltasar Kormákur, is a very frustrating movie, and that frustration comes from storytelling choices that are almost all unnecessary. That doesn't mean it's bad, per say. It's handsomely crafted and often moving, bolstered by a pair of solid performances from Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin and some lush visuals courtesy of cinematography Robert Richardson. But in its attempt to mix up the structural tropes of the disaster genre, Adrift ends up being far more convoluted than it ever needs to be. With a non-linear narrative weighing down this survival odyssey, Kormákur's newest study of human endurance ultimately lacks visceral intensity in the moments when the film needs it most. This is a touching true story, and the romance between the two leads is undeniably charming. But the lessened impact of the film's jittery storytelling dilutes the power of the experience, resulting in a moderately engaging journey that's sadly less than memorable.
When we first meet Tami Oldham (Woodley), her boat is on the verge of total collapse in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. She has a nasty gash on the side of her head, water is seeping into the boat, and the dashing Richard (Claflin) is nowhere to be found. Just as all hope seems lost, the film jumps back to the very beginning of the story, tracing the origins of Tami and Richard's relationship and discovering how they got to this situation in the first place. Sometime in the 1980s, Tami arrives in Tahiti without much of a plan, hoping to stay as long as she can and find work. Tami is something of a free spirit, having moved from San Diego and traveled the world for the last several years.
After settling into life on Tahiti, Tami meets Finnick Oda....er, Richard Sharp, a charming sailor who built his own boat with his bare hands. The two embark on a whirlwind romance, brought closer by their love for adventures and their desire to sail the world together. When Richard gets an offer to sail a boat across the Pacific Ocean to California, he and Tami are eager to embark on this journey. Unfortunately, they'll find themselves in the middle of a massive hurricane, one that will leave their boat destroyed and Richard's body in shambles. With thousands of miles between them and land and absolutely no way of communicating with the outside world, Tami will have to use her wit and strength to survive another day. And, y'know, many more days after that.
For a film about the challenge of survival and the perils of the vast ocean, Adrift is surprisingly low on tension. There are a few disturbing images and some frightening moments (the climatic storm is sure to terrify some viewers), but the sense of fear and misery is never palpable here. In an odd way, Kormákur just can't seem to find the right balance. Everest wallowed in the pain of its subjects, while Adrift barely wades into this intense territory at all. But there's a very specific reason for this- blame it on the film's structural choices above all else. The diffusion of tension is a constant problem in this story, the maddening result of an unnecessary non-linear narrative that has more time jumps than The Godfather Part II.
*Mild Spoilers Ahead*
Kormákur and the team of writers (Aaron and Jordan Kandell and David Branson Smith) seemingly employ this strategy in order to execute a third act twist, one that isn't too difficult to figure out if you know beforehand that there's a surprise coming in the finale. I have few problems with the story's final left turn, but I don't know if this structure was necessary to get us there. While Kormákur is building to that climatic reveal through these different time jumps, the film is so scattered that there's no real forward motion to the story. Whenever something bad happens to Tami and Richard during their time adrift at sea, the audience gets an immediate reprieve by the film's switch back to their blissful romance. Adrift is a PG-13 movie with two teen fan favorites as leads, so it's understandable that Kormákur wouldn't want things to get too visceral. But there were very few moments where my pulse quickened, and that's a direct consequence of an approach that constantly whips around the audience.
That's too bad, because it's easy to picture a linear, straight-forward version of this movie that works beautifully. Woodley and Claflin are excellent leads, and their chemistry makes the love story click in a wonderful way. Woodley's easy-going, free spirited charm is a perfect match for Claflin's gentle likability, and when the film leans into boldly emotional territory, it's hugely effective. Even without the help of a sweeping runtime (the film runs a mere 96 minutes), the romance in Adrift feels genuine and pure, the result of two strong performances and a raw, moving true story. Kormákur and cinematographer Richardson (a frequent Tarantino and Scorsese collaborator) clearly enjoy the gorgeous vistas and clear waters of the tropical paradise, capturing Tami and Richard's love affair with sensitivity and grace.
And yet it just isn't quite enough. Adrift's tale of courage and survival is admirable, but its impressive individual pieces make the middling, often misguided final product feel that much more frustrating. Kormákur and the writers make decidedly ambitious choices in their depiction of this remarkable true story, and I can't fault them for trying to do something different in the well-worn survival genre. But by doing so much in order to service one misdirect that could have been achieved otherwise, Kormákur struggles to create any real sense of pacing or flow. It's an effective story, but Adrift's impact is disappointingly mild.
THE FINAL GRADE: C+ (6.2/10)
Images courtesy of STX Entertainment
After settling into life on Tahiti, Tami meets Finnick Oda....er, Richard Sharp, a charming sailor who built his own boat with his bare hands. The two embark on a whirlwind romance, brought closer by their love for adventures and their desire to sail the world together. When Richard gets an offer to sail a boat across the Pacific Ocean to California, he and Tami are eager to embark on this journey. Unfortunately, they'll find themselves in the middle of a massive hurricane, one that will leave their boat destroyed and Richard's body in shambles. With thousands of miles between them and land and absolutely no way of communicating with the outside world, Tami will have to use her wit and strength to survive another day. And, y'know, many more days after that.
For a film about the challenge of survival and the perils of the vast ocean, Adrift is surprisingly low on tension. There are a few disturbing images and some frightening moments (the climatic storm is sure to terrify some viewers), but the sense of fear and misery is never palpable here. In an odd way, Kormákur just can't seem to find the right balance. Everest wallowed in the pain of its subjects, while Adrift barely wades into this intense territory at all. But there's a very specific reason for this- blame it on the film's structural choices above all else. The diffusion of tension is a constant problem in this story, the maddening result of an unnecessary non-linear narrative that has more time jumps than The Godfather Part II.
*Mild Spoilers Ahead*
Kormákur and the team of writers (Aaron and Jordan Kandell and David Branson Smith) seemingly employ this strategy in order to execute a third act twist, one that isn't too difficult to figure out if you know beforehand that there's a surprise coming in the finale. I have few problems with the story's final left turn, but I don't know if this structure was necessary to get us there. While Kormákur is building to that climatic reveal through these different time jumps, the film is so scattered that there's no real forward motion to the story. Whenever something bad happens to Tami and Richard during their time adrift at sea, the audience gets an immediate reprieve by the film's switch back to their blissful romance. Adrift is a PG-13 movie with two teen fan favorites as leads, so it's understandable that Kormákur wouldn't want things to get too visceral. But there were very few moments where my pulse quickened, and that's a direct consequence of an approach that constantly whips around the audience.
And yet it just isn't quite enough. Adrift's tale of courage and survival is admirable, but its impressive individual pieces make the middling, often misguided final product feel that much more frustrating. Kormákur and the writers make decidedly ambitious choices in their depiction of this remarkable true story, and I can't fault them for trying to do something different in the well-worn survival genre. But by doing so much in order to service one misdirect that could have been achieved otherwise, Kormákur struggles to create any real sense of pacing or flow. It's an effective story, but Adrift's impact is disappointingly mild.
THE FINAL GRADE: C+ (6.2/10)
Images courtesy of STX Entertainment
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