Adrift works well as a true story despite only occasionally giving into some of the more conventional aspects of its storytelling. This is a lot more surprisingly introspective of a movie based on fact.
Shailene Woodley stars as Tami Oldham, a woman from San Diego who journey across the world to Tahiti in search of a better and more fulfilling life. She crosses paths with another adventurer, Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin), a Brit who owns a sailboat. Tami takes an immediate liking to Richard and the two actors do get enough screen time and showcase convincing chemistry.
A couple of Richard’s friends offer him the chance to sail back to California with a hefty payday and Tami soon joins him on the voyage. Unfortunately, once they set sail, they’re caught right in the middle of a deadly hurricane that leaves their vessel devastated with zero means of contact and running low on food and other supplies. To make matters worse, Richard is badly injured, so it’s up to Tami to save the day for both of them.
The movie is told through flashbacks interspersed with the main action. We get to know the characters just enough and they are given enough dimension. Shailene Woodley delivers strong work and she makes the most of her role as a woman with intelligence, determination, and a hopeful soul. Claflin is equally as effective and when the inevitable dilemma hits, we do root for them.
This could’ve been an excuse for tour de force special effects, but it chooses to keep that element to a minimum and not upstage the actors. There’s also a serious OMG moment for those who do pay some attention to Cleflin’s dialogue about what happens on the high seas and if you keep that dialogue firmly in the back of your mind, you know that information will pay off later.
Adrift works as an antidote to all the recent crop of summer blockbusters. It’s not a great film for its genre, but it doesn’t get too lost in its own storm either.
Grade: B
(Rated PG-13 for injury images, peril, language, brief drug use, partial nudity, and thematic elements.)
