Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Movie Review: "All Is Lost" (J.C. Chandor, 2013)

BOATMAN’S BATTLE: “ALL IS LOST” IS A TALE OF SURVIVAL AT SEA
by Bennett Campbell Ferguson

 
 
Left: Robert Redford is the star of (and only actor featured in) Mr. Chandor's film
 
 
 
The opening of “All is Lost” is simple—after a brief voiceover, a red shipping container strikes a small yacht, gouging a giant hull in the stylish white boat.  Its lone captain, (Robert Redford), referred to in the credits as “Our Man,” is forced to take action.  Quickly, he walks onto the shipping container, prying it loose using an anchor.  Then, as he sails through the Indian Ocean, gluing and patching his vessel as best he can.

            Don’t even try hoping that Our Man’s troubles end there.  No sooner has he fixed the boat than he spots a storm on the horizon.  Sooner, rain is assaulting our hero and even when it’s not, writer/director J.C. Chandor and cinematographer Frank G. Demarco keep the camera unsteady and loose, as if it too were bobbing violently in the water.  And water seems to follow Our Man wherever he goes.  It sloshes across the floor of the boat (forcing him to sleep in a hammock) and quickly begins seeping into the yellow inflatable raft where he’s forced to retreat.  Nowhere is safe.

            Needless to say, “All is Lost” is not a safe movie in itself.  It’s not pleasant to see an entire narrative played out in unsteady, tiny boats—by the end, I felt not seasick, but certainly disjointed.  More to the point, the film’s moments of hope are few.  Our Man might be highly resourceful (he’s able to calculate his position using navigation tools, marking out his journey with blue Xs on a map), but things keep getting worse for him.  By the time he’s forced to watch not one but two boats fail to spot him, there may be some groans mixed in with your tears.

            And yet, I would still have to say that “All is Lost” is a worthwhile voyage.  It may be grueling at times, but it has the unique distinction of breaking down survival to a moment by moment, step by step process.  Everything Our Man does—from climbing to the top of his boat’s mast to frying some vegetables, even in the midst of the crisis—grabs your attention.  Being on a boat with one man for two hours should feel lonely, but it doesn’t really.  Thanks to Mr. Chandor, Mr. Redford, and the crew, there’s enough detail to fill an ocean. 

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