All Is Lost (2013)

All Is Lost is a story about the ocean, about this gargantuan mass of water that which breadth you cannot fathom. More specifically it's about an old man in a sailing boat, who runs into a metal container in the middle of nowhere, and soon after runs right into a storm. He tries pumping out the water, he tries fixing the hull, he tries fixing the radio, in the storm he has to sacrifice the mast, and eventually he watches his ship sink from the relative safety of an inflatable raft on which he spends days floating aimlessly; hoping for rescue. Wonder what he was doing out there anyway?

It reminds a bit of The Life of Pi, though there's a much bigger sense of realism in this one, and much less speech, not to mention much less plot. We are cast into the moment, and that's where we remain all throughout the movie, without sense of past or future... though there is a glint of regret at the beginning. The main character starts off by saying a few words, his memento, but that's when all hope is already lost, that's at the end, at the start of the movie. Then time rewinds eight days, and from that point onwards we are left to follow the events portrayed in silence.

There's the occasional groan or grunt, but that's about it. As they say, an image conveys a thousand words, and you can see all of these words just by looking at his face.

It's a fascinating story, with an ending that can be seen two ways. Either he is actually rescued, or his rescue is the light of an afterlife. I haven't read any official statements/reviews, but considering he only sees a white light when he reaches the surface, brought up by a helping hand, it seems like that possibility was left there intentionally. If it is supposed to signify an otherworldly experience, I'm glad they didn't clarify; I'd like to think he survives. The notion that he might be dead doesn't really satisfy my want for a happy ending, but at the same time it beautifies the movie; gives it a message. What message? I don't know. Maybe you'll figure it out.

The filmography is beautiful; the main (and only) actor is a good one, and the ocean is wild.

Great movie.

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle