Keep it Reel: 'Adrift'
By Marc Woodfork
'Adrift' tells the remarkable true story of Tami Oldham's incredible experience of surviving at sea for over 40 days. Shailene Woodley is fantastic in the lead role. Her performance is the bright light in an otherwise average script.
The story centers on Tami and her fiance who decide to deliver a boat to a friend across the ocean to San Diego. Little did they know that they would be heading straight into one of the most devasting hurricanes in modern history. With the boat badly damaged, Tami against all odds survives the storm and the next 41 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean until she's finally rescued.
Most of the film was actually filmed at sea, so there is an authenticity to the movie that is felt throughout. The director decided to tell the story in a non-linear way, which works beautifully. He turns the camera into a participant rather than a spectator. Audiences will feel immersed as if they are on board alongside Shailene.
'Adrift' won't set the box office on fire, but the resilience of the human spirit shown by Tami Oldham is overwhelmingly inspiring. Certainly a film worth watching.