Icelandic Director Baltasar Kormákur made a ‘splash’ in cinemas with his new film ‘Adrift’. Whilst he is previously known to have directed other biographical films such as ‘The Deep’ and ‘Everest’, Adrift will certainly make a running in the box office. While this film came out in 2018, it still has a lasting impact on my memory today, making me go back and rewatch it.

 Based on a true story, the main stars, Sam Claflin and Shailene Woodley, portray a couple that decides to sail from Tahiti to San Diego in October 1983; during their journey, they encounter a category four hurricane, which is where their trouble begins.

 Woodley wakes up with a head injury and finds the boat to be in a state of disrepair, then realizes that Richard is nowhere to be seen. The movie switches in-between flashbacks and the present, to show details about how they met and what started them off on the journey. It’s an inspiring story about real-life sailor Tami Oldham and her 41-day battle to survive with what appears to be herself and Richard alone in the open seas.

 Tami Oldham wrote a book on which this film is based, working closely with the writers and director to accurately show her time sailing the 1,500-mile journey to Hilo, Hawaii, using only a watch and sextant to try and find her way back to land.

 Along with the sound, Woodley and Claflin need to have a believable relationship and good chemistry to make the film work. Their actions coincide with the music in the film, with the creaking noises of the boat and the sea. Kormákur uses these to his advantage to display the severity of the situation.

 The only questionable points of the movie are, firstly, Claflin’s entrance in the film, almost like a knight in shining armor arriving on his own boat and sweeping Woodley off her feet, to later sail away together. The script itself is slightly cheesy, making some of the conversations between Tami and Richard to be too romanticized. Also, the hurricane scene wasn’t as believable as some of Kormákurs other films that use CGI graphics for water scenes are more realistic.

 Overall, the portrayal of the true love story between soulmates Tami Olden and Richard Sharp is something everyone desires to have at least once in their life, and the film definitely gives the audience a tear-wrenching true story to hold onto.

This was written by our contributing writer, Shanai Besst.