Adrift (2018)
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A woman must fight to survive alone at sea after a hurricane leaves her adrift in the Pacific Ocean with a damaged boat and no radio.
The story
Five months before a devastating hurricane, Tami Oldham meets British sailor Richard Sharp in Tahiti. After a series of events, the couple agrees to sail a luxury yacht, Hazaña, to San Diego, California. Despite receiving news of an approaching cyclone, they proceed with their journey. When the storm hits, the yacht is severely damaged, and Richard is thrown overboard. Tami is left alone in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a crippled vessel. With no radio response and a non-functional engine, she must navigate the treacherous waters and manage her dwindling resources to reach land.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Five months before the hurricane, Tami Oldham arrives in Tahiti and meets Richard Sharp. They plan a trip to Japan but eventually accept an offer from Peter and Christine Crompton to sail their luxury yacht, Hazaña, to San Diego for $10,000. During the voyage, they are hit by Hurricane Raymond. The storm flips the yacht repeatedly; Richard is knocked unconscious and swept overboard, while Tami suffers a head wound. Tami finds herself alone, with the engine failing and no radio contact. She initially believes she sees Richard on a dinghy and manages to drag him back on board, but later realizes he has broken ribs and a shattered shin. She fashions a makeshift sail to head toward Hawaii. After 41 days at sea, she begins to hallucinate Richard's presence. Eventually, she spots a Japanese research vessel and is rescued. It is revealed that Richard was never found and Tami survived alone for 41 days. She returns to Tahiti and releases her engagement ring into the water.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States; Iceland; Hong Kong
- Original languages
- English; Icelandic
- Directors
- Baltasar Kormákur
- Writers
- Aaron Kandell · writer; Jordan Kandell · writer; David Branson Smith · writer
- Cast and characters
- Shailene Woodley · Tami Oldham; Sam Claflin · Richard Sharp; Jeffrey Thomas · Peter Crompton; Elizabeth Hawthorne · Christine Crompton; Grace Palmer · Deb
- Genres
- survival drama; romantic drama
- Themes
- survival; love; resilience
- Tone and mood
- gripping; heartfelt; mixed
- Premise and plot tags
- true story; natural disaster; maritime accident
- Source material / true-story basis
- Red Sky in Mourning by Tami Oldham Ashcraft (2002)
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances and the cinematography but criticized the familiar narrative. It received a 'B' CinemaScore from audiences.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 56 · scale: 100 · review count: 31; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The cast and crew took two-hour boat rides into the ocean every day during filming in Fiji.; The film's production was mostly covered by foreign presales, totaling up to $20 million.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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