This was a pretty good and touching film. Throughout, I enjoyed the nonlinear narrative bouncing between post-hurricane and pre-hurricane; although, I hated it at the same time. I love postmodern films and nonlinear storytelling, but the jumping back and forth in time kind of ruined the energy of the film. We know there's a hurricane in the film by reading the description, but showing what happens after the hurricane hits takes away from the suspense of the dangerous journey and makes the hurricane, one it appears, to be a watered-down evil (pun possibly intended).
However, the ending was quite beautiful and depressing. Finding that he was a hallucination the entire time was a very good twist and unexpected. It made me choke up a little bit and think "Wow, they got me good and it hit hard". This twist made the film ultimately better, more depressing, and gives me more sympathy and respect for the protagonist, especially as this is a real event. From the beginning (pre-hurricane), there is discussion of hallucinations at sea by Richard. This is a "big bowl of foreshadowing" as Deadpool says in "Deadpool 2". Throughout, I was waiting for the hallucinations and then when we see the giant boat simply pass by them, I realized this was the hallucination that he was alluding to earlier. I never would've thought that she'd been hallucinating his presence the entire time after the hurricane.
This is a story that should be told and "Adrift" is the first film about these events. I'm glad I got to learn more about Hurricane Raymond and Oldham's experiences but I wish it were done a little bit better, out of respect for Oldham and other victims of the storm. The majority of the movie felt "meh" to me and aside from the twist, the movie was mostly carried by the great acting and few suspenseful moments. Otherwise, the jumbled narrative added to the chaos and confusion of the plot, but became lost at sea with the characters. Memories of the film make me feel seasick as the majority of it is floating around at sea, being tortured by loneliness, and distress. Making the film linear would've created more suspense and intrigue for the film as it's jumbled structure worked against the plot, adding too much ebb and flow between emotions and comprehension.
I respect this film and I'm glad it was produced but I want to see this story or event retold in a better way.
However, the ending was quite beautiful and depressing. Finding that he was a hallucination the entire time was a very good twist and unexpected. It made me choke up a little bit and think "Wow, they got me good and it hit hard". This twist made the film ultimately better, more depressing, and gives me more sympathy and respect for the protagonist, especially as this is a real event. From the beginning (pre-hurricane), there is discussion of hallucinations at sea by Richard. This is a "big bowl of foreshadowing" as Deadpool says in "Deadpool 2". Throughout, I was waiting for the hallucinations and then when we see the giant boat simply pass by them, I realized this was the hallucination that he was alluding to earlier. I never would've thought that she'd been hallucinating his presence the entire time after the hurricane.
This is a story that should be told and "Adrift" is the first film about these events. I'm glad I got to learn more about Hurricane Raymond and Oldham's experiences but I wish it were done a little bit better, out of respect for Oldham and other victims of the storm. The majority of the movie felt "meh" to me and aside from the twist, the movie was mostly carried by the great acting and few suspenseful moments. Otherwise, the jumbled narrative added to the chaos and confusion of the plot, but became lost at sea with the characters. Memories of the film make me feel seasick as the majority of it is floating around at sea, being tortured by loneliness, and distress. Making the film linear would've created more suspense and intrigue for the film as it's jumbled structure worked against the plot, adding too much ebb and flow between emotions and comprehension.
I respect this film and I'm glad it was produced but I want to see this story or event retold in a better way.