For James Halcomb, this was one movie that has always stuck with him.
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There are just some movies that stick with you. That have an effect on you that was either unexpected, or even if you do expect to be moved, it happens in unexpected ways. 2013’s “All is Lost” was such a film for me.
The movie deals with a man lost somewhere in the Indian Ocean, with no working radio and an intermittently sinking boat. The film offers a small narration in the form of a letter written by the man (played with grit by Robert Redford), but after that there is little dialogue beyond a few mumbled words under his breath. The film deals with the 8 days following the initial moment his troubles begin, to the letter written 8 days later.
The film can be taken on many levels, the most blunt being that the films is simple survival movie, or it can be looked at as a meditation on death and the dying and how we struggle against that last good night.
Redford is powerful in a role that shows just how stellar an actor he is. His mind troubleshoots; then panics; shows relief and often dread conveying it all with mere vocal inflections and a face that has seen it all. His stoic figure and presence on the screen is amazing, and when he shows moments of giving up, this doubles for the audience who always expect him to have the answers because he is Robert Redford, dammit.
Written and directed by J. C. Chandor, he is able to convey claustrophobia and the terrifying expanse when separated from the world. The interior shots were the most impressive to me. With little musical score accompaniment and some great camera trickery, I often felt my own breath knocked from me and unsure of what was up or down on the screen.
“All is Lost” is a film that did not set the world on fire at the box office, nor did critics heap awards upon it. What it is though, is a powerful piece of film that should be admired for its craftsmanship and its message.
“All is Lost” is currently streaming on Netflix and can be found in a million other streaming or rent services. Don’t let this movie slip by.
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Photo: AP Photo/Roadside Attractions, Daniel Daza