Adrift opens across Taiwan on 8/24, and from the stills and trailers alone you can immediately sense that this is a disaster-romance. The film's director, 巴塔薩科馬庫 Baltasar Kormákur, has garnered glowing reviews over the years — his 2015 film Everest, which he also produced, even earned the honor of opening the Venice Film Festival. Kormákur has a gift for using the raw power of nature to illuminate the subtleties of the human spirit. The outstanding performances of leads 山姆克萊弗林 Sam Claflin and 雪琳伍德利 Shailene Woodley allow audiences to fully feel the helplessness of ordinary human beings confronted by a natural disaster at sea.
My Thoughts on Adrift
Beyond the breathtaking ocean scenery, the romance of life under sail, and the stunning visual effects, what else is worth looking out for in this film? Before diving into my full review, let's hear from the two sailing-couple partners at Offshore, the sailing lifestyle studio, and see how they felt about Adrift.
Highlight One: The Romance of Ocean People
At one point in the film, the female lead asks why the male lead chose to sail the world alone. He answers that crossing the horizon gives him a feeling of being reborn. That line struck the Editor deeply. For many divers or sailing enthusiasts, the ocean is no longer simply a sport — it is an opportunity to break free from the pressures of daily life. Even when you dive or sail in the same stretch of water and take in the same scenery time and again, the way the ocean moves you keeps ascending to an ever deeper emotional level. No wonder so many people describe those who love the sea as being utterly "sea-obsessed."
Highlight Two: A Detailed Portrait of Life Under Sail
Ray from the Offshore sailing lifestyle studio shared with us that, having had the chance to step aboard an ocean-crossing sailboat himself, he noticed that the film captures many authentic details of life at sea. The books and guitar stowed in the cabin, for instance, are exactly the kind of everyday comforts sailors rely on during long ocean passages. The rolled-up chart hanging nearby serves as a mariner's constant reference — though thanks to modern technology, nautical charts have largely gone digital. Physical maps are often pinned to the wall with cotton twine and thumbtacks tracing out the route, which is perhaps its own kind of romance on the open ocean.
After the shipwreck, the female lead uses a sextant to determine latitude and longitude and employs her watch to calculate the drift speed of floating debris and estimate their rate of travel. These are the most primitive yet effective contingency methods when a vessel's electronic instruments fail. Through the film's storytelling, we gain a basic understanding of the art of seamanship.
Highlight Three: Faith — The Foundation for Overcoming Everything
The trailer makes clear that this is a disaster film in which the two leads drift at sea for many days — a premise that initially sounds similar to Life of Pi, and in some ways it is not far off. Since Everest, Kormákur has consistently used the awe-inspiring force of nature to probe the fragility of the human condition: the choices people make when personal survival is at stake, the willpower needed to keep fighting for life in the face of impossible odds. In Adrift, the focus is on the protagonists' journey from early optimism, through the panic of dwindling food and water, to the utter helplessness of hallucination. The leads' compelling performances take us through what feels like a real ocean survival ordeal. The ultimate message is this: no matter what adversity life throws at you, faith is the foundation for overcoming everything.
After seeing the film, many people ask: is sailing or yachting really that terrifying? In fact, Adrift is based on the true story of Tami Oldham, set in 1983. Over the 35 years since, sailing technology has advanced enormously — precise weather forecasting systems, onboard desalination units, more reliable emergency distress beacons, and much more have all made ocean voyaging far safer and more accessible. At a time when Taiwan remains relatively conservative about ocean activities compared to other countries, we sincerely hope everyone will consider planning a sailing or yachting trip — to discover Taiwan's beauty from a completely different perspective, and not to let fear stand in the way of getting closer to the sea.
Adrift — Film Information
English Title: Adrift
Chinese Title: 我願意
Language: English
Runtime: 97 minutes
Country of Production: USA
Rating: Parental Guidance
Release Date: August 24, 2018
Genre: Drama / Romance
Official Website: http://theatrical.catchplay.com/Movies/adrift
CatchPlay Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/catchplay/
Director: 巴塔薩科馬庫 Baltasar Kormákur (Everest, Contraband, 2 Guns)
Cast:
-
山姆克萊弗林 Sam Claflin (Me Before You, The Hunger Games series, Love, Rosie)
-
雪琳伍德利 Shailene Woodley (Divergent series) Golden Globe Nomination — Best Supporting Actress
-
傑佛瑞湯瑪斯 Jeffrey Thomas (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
★ Sam Claflin of [Me Before You] × Shailene Woodley of [The Fault in Our Stars] — Setting Sail on a Sea of Love
★ A New Classic in Disaster Romance — Following in the Wake of [Titanic] — Caught in a Storm at Sea, Fighting to Protect the One You Love — For You, I Would Give Everything
★ The Acclaimed Director of [Everest] Returns with an Epic New Film — The Most Powerful Hurricane in Pacific History Meets a Deeply Moving True Love Story on the Big Screen
★ Adapted from a True Story — The Most Harrowing Adventure of a Lifetime — A Miraculous Love That Survived the Storm
Related Links:
