If you are planning to watch the disaster film Adrift, then I hope that you haven’t read the memoir it is based on by Tami Oldham Ashcraft called Red Sky In Mourning: A True Story Of Love, Loss, and Survival At Sea, like I had. And if you haven’t, do yourself a favour and don’t Google the story either. I say this because the romantic drama makes a clever (at least on paper) deviation from the book for the sake of dramatisation and emotional impact, and it may have done a number on me had I not noticed the glaring departure from the original story early on in the film.

Tami Oldham Ashcraft, of course, was an American girl who met a British sailor named Richard Sharp and the two fell in love, bonding especially over their passion for sailing. Soon they were engaged to be married. The duo set off on an adventure together in 1983 after Sharp was tasked with sailing a yacht named Hazana to San Diego. For a few weeks their journey was without incident, but then all hell broke loose when they came across horrifying 40-foot waves and 140mph winds courtesy Hurricane Raymond, a storm that felt like it was stalking the boat.

As I said, having read the memoir I knew the game Adrift was playing and as a result the narrative wasn’t as gut-wrenching for me as it may have been for others. Having said this, I wasn’t particularly convinced by the relationship portrayed by Shailene Woodley (Tami Oldham Ashcraft) and Sam Claflin (Richard Sharp) either. For one, the two lacked chemistry. They just weren’t convincing as characters willing to go to the ends of the Earth with each other. For the other, they didn’t have a great script to work with, in a romance that felt like it had been heavy-handedly crafted using a cookie cutter.

Adrift is a by-the-numbers lost-at-sea drama, which is exactly the opposite of what a film of this genre needs

Adrift is pretty light as far as the plot is concerned, and in many ways is a by-the-numbers lost-at-sea drama, which is exactly the opposite of what a film of this genre needs. Thankfully, Woodley is often stunning with her performance. She really dives into her role as a woman lost at sea, displaying much of the anxiety and fear you’d expect to the point where you find some of the scenes quite emotionally draining. At the same time, she seems to really know her way around a ship, displaying incredible energy, skill and the sort of inspiring determination and resilience it takes to be a survivor. There is no doubt in my mind that the 26-year-old American actress is destined to be a real star in the future.

Woodley is often stunning with her performance. She really dives into her role as a woman lost at sea, displaying much of the anxiety and fear you’d expect to the point where you find some of the scenes quite emotionally draining.

Unfortunately, the special effects let Adrift down somewhat. Most of the scenes are acceptable at best and a few come across as rather low budget. The cinematography by Robert Richardson is fine, but the requirements of the film seem to be outside of his forte.

Adrift is directed by Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur, who has made yet another film of this kind after the adventure drama Everest (2015) earned a mixed reaction. While Kormákur has shown occasional brilliance with both, the lack of consistency is the only thing that’s been consistent.

Rated PG-13 for injury images, peril, language, brief drug use, partial nudity and thematic elements

Published in Dawn, ICON, June 15th, 2018