LFF 2013: All Is Lost ****
A film without dialogue is unusual in this day and age. A survival film with an older protagonist is even more so. JC Chandor’s ocean drama, All Is Lost is so simple in its execution that is offers its 77-year-old star Robert Redford a blank canvas to show off his exceptional acting talents at this stage in his long career. His reactions to the harsh situation seem underplayed and realistic, without an ounce of melodrama. Without dialogue we focus solely on these so that every move appears significant. In fact it’s like watching the star himself in an own private moment, battling the elements.
A man (Redford) wakes up on his yacht in the Sumatra Straits, near the Indian Ocean to find his hull pierced by a floating container. So begins the drama that sees him fighting the elements alone in a bid to stay alive.
Perhaps the most fascinating and intriguing way is how matter-of-factly the story unfolds. The man is unfazed by the initial realisation and pragmatic in response. Chandor’s film creates a more natural state of affairs, without the need for inducing any hint of panic through overreaction or musical accompaniment either to heighten the senses. Curiosity is pricked and we are hooked as to how the rest of the 106-minute run-time will pan out. All we know is a vague suggestion from the title that things must develop for the worse. The rest is a tense waiting game born through our own imaginations.
Redford is supremely captivating as the sailor; we sense his every emotion as though telepathically in tune. There are moments of great physical strength coupled with mental ones that it’s hard not to admire the investment the actor has made. He keeps his character unremarkable and so doing, we can relate to his ‘average man’ in a tough environment who makes mistakes as well as finds solutions. Chandor keeps the camera at a respectable distance in the cramped location to allow the man space to figure out the next move.
At the end of the film, there is a huge amount of respect for the character that rewards our own investment. Chandor’s All Is Lost is actually a very interactive experience in fact without the viewer realising from the comfort of his/her own seat, and is one of the triumphs of LFF 2013.
4/5 stars
By @FilmGazer
by lgileskeddie
