ALL IS LOST

ALL IS LOST Review

By Darin Skaggs

     At my happiest times I am walking on pathways, listening to my music.  There are no cars around not many distracting noises.  It is a peaceful time.  Then while on the pathways I could take a wrong turn or be somewhere new in which I am not familiar with the area.  I am then terrified with over dramatic thoughts that I will never make it home.  I might never find my way back to a place I know. I’m not running around crying, screaming for someone to save me, but on the inside I’m freaking out.  In J.C. Chandor’s new film All Is Lost explores that very fear and how it’s handled.

     All Is Lost is film about the fight for survival of a lone unnamed seaman, played by Robert Redford.  The film opens with a narration by Redford about how it is too late and how sorry he is.  Then we hear a crash and it cuts to Redford being woken by the noise.  He gets up as he sees his boat being filled with water.  It is being filled slowly, not too bad.  Redford spends his time fixing the hole and emptying the boat of the water.  While the water was rushing in, on the count that the boat was hit by a shipping crate, it has broken all his communication equipment.  Therefore he cannot get in contact with the shore.

     He spends a long time fixing the hole in his boat.  It is in no way boring when he fixes that hole though it may turn off some people.  There are many scenes that are Redford slowly solving his problems and fixing his boat.  It is almost jarring that when the film speeds up due to a storm.  That is not a negative; those parts of the movie work just as well as the others. 

     Redford’s character is so clearly an introvert.  He is far, far away from the world.  He does not seem sad about it, but he does look more comfortable with it.  Redford gives one of his most amazing performances of his career.  His character seems content with his situation, yet also a terrified mess when the moments get out of hand.  Though in those moments his posture is still in a calm state.

     What makes Redford’s performance so great and worthy of praise is that the script is nearly wordless.  There is monologue at the beginning, some phrases near the end and one big shouted word in the middle of the film.  So all that Redford has to let us know what he feels is his facial expressions and his body language.  He does this so well, you know what he is thinking even though he is never screaming “Why!” or “Now here’s my plan.”  It is very truthful to the way men act.  They don’t panic very often, they don’t like to express their feelings and they want to do everything themselves.

     The film, while being all about how men treat situations of peril and hardship is also a very spiritual one.  The film has a few hints here and there that God is looking over this man.  We know nothing about him except that he spends his time in solitude. That is where most people are when they are spending their time with God.  There are a few visual hints as well that are scattered throughout the film.  Even the title suggests a spiritual aspect.  God is the one you turn to when “all is lost.” 

     We learn very little personal information about this man, though the writing and acting makes us care about him more than most films do with their main character.  The film is a big adventure without any big explosions or car chases. Just an honest “Man vs. nature” story that makes you feel so passionately about the lead.