Cruising the Indian Ocean on his yacht the Virginia Jean, our unnamed central character (Redford) awakens one morning to water flowing into his cabin. He has sailed into an abandoned supply container, which has caused a serious dent in the side. He quickly and efficiently sets to work; separating his yacht from the container, temporarily repairing the damage, sapping up the water from within and rescuing anything he can. Content with his solution he starts to sail on. But, this setback has perhaps delayed his journey and he finds himself in the middle of the ocean with a fierce storm bearing down on him. His proud vessel soon becomes nature’s ragdoll and an irreparable capsize proves to be the first of many hardships to follow. Throughout the story we never leave Redford’s side – accompanying him to the top of his masts and to the depths of the ocean - nor are we ever introduced to another character. The dialog is minimal, and yet so much is conveyed through Chandor’s patient direction and intelligent script, Redford’s weathered face and the compelling intricacies of the sets and production design.Read more »
