Film Review: ALL IS LOST

Things do not go well for Our Man out on the open seas.

For the past two nights I watched a movie that may be life-changing; only time will tell. "All is Lost" tells the story of a doomed sailboat adrift in the Indian Ocean with a lone sailor on board. Even though I watched it sitting on my completely dry couch in my land-locked living room, the tension from the very first scene freaked me out so much that I had to turn it off and pray for sleep. Next morning I woke up thinking about it and so last night I clicked "Resume Playing" and finished it off.

Since it was released in 2013 and has been reviewed to death by everyone and their uncle, I hardly need to add my two cents concerning its considerable merits as a piece of convincing film-making chicanery. Virtually mute throughout, the film's only actor, Robert Redford, does a good job as the victim of his own miscalculations, even if you can almost hear the director yelling through a bullhorn which emotions to display on his craggy face every second. And the production crew and photographers succeed in making you believe the unfolding disaster is actually occurring in the open ocean and not in a man-made water tank the size of three football fields in Mexico, the very same tank built to shoot parts of "Titanic" years ago. Still, we remember "it's only a movie."

The creeping horror comes as we watch Our Man (as he is listed in the final credits) engage in the timeless struggle of Man vs. Nature. His unflagging determination to undergo the severe discomfort of thirst, hunger and loss of vitality despite the certain brutal outcome, his refusal to let go of this thing called "life" despite how unpleasant it has become, makes one see the minor setbacks we all experience, from a splinter in the toe to a nagging toothache, in a new light. And his incredible ability to stay organized and not panic made me especially queasy, knowing I would not behave that way at all but would instead dissolve into a sobbing mess within the first five minutes and stay that way until I drowned.

This realization did not please me, and so this morning as I made my coffee I was careful to grind enough extra beans in case we lose power today. I ate a hearty breakfast and took all my healthy supplements in case I am swept away in a tsunami this afternoon and need my strength, even though I don't live all that close to the water and fair weather is predicted. But you never know. You've got to be ready. You've got to fight, or all will be lost.

Great movie, by the way. Haunting music, stunning footage of beautiful skies, amazing underwater photography of schools of fish. Worth repeated viewings. Take notes.