One of the best movies you’re going to see this year is JC Chandor‘s All is Lost starring Robert Redford in a film tracing one man’s journey against the elements. Here are the opening paragraphs from my “A+” review I filed from the Cannes Film Festival:
Alone at sea, 1,700 nautical miles from shore in the Indian Ocean, one man awakes aboard his yacht, the “Virginia Jean”. The boat is taking on water after being struck by a shipping container fallen from a freighter and floating at sea. He repairs the hole, but the salt water has damaged his equipment and he’s sailing blind. All is Lost traces this man’s journey against the elements in a fight for survival and the end result is a tremendous piece cinema unlike anything you’re likely to have seen before.
All is Lost was written and directed by J.C. Chandor (Margin Call), from a script only 30 pages long, largely consisting of prose describing one scene to the next, without any dialogue. As it turns out, the film, which features Robert Redford in the lead (and only) role, includes only a few lines of dialogue, the majority of which are “help”, an expletive, a brief S.O.S. call and a bit of somber voice over heard over a blank screen during the film’s opening seconds as water gently laps in the darkness.
You can read the full review here.
All is Lost hits theaters on October 18, be sure you don’t miss it.
