Skip to main content

Desperation and Helplessness in All Is Lost (2013)

Never Give Up



Scriptwriter J. C. Chandor


RATING  👍 (4 of 10) 
Watch not so much for depth but for artistic qualities.


The Review

The feel of the movie, reinforced by the score, is tragic and depressive. Here is an elderly sailor who faces the forces of nature with broken tools and inadequate supply for survival, and in a territory where human power is most limited – the ocean (as opposed to land). It is a situation set up for hopelessness, of experiencing the limits of human capacity, and of helplessness.

The only time the sailor speaks was at the beginning and the end of the film. While the narration tried to encapsulate his life in philosophical terms, the lack of flashbacks along the way tended to hollow these thoughts – to be true, to be strong, to be kind, to love, to be right… The viewer cannot empathize with his past because of not being able to see it.

Another weakness in this movie is the absence of thought narratives in certain moments in his struggle to survive. These thoughts would have deepened the viewer’s appreciation of the frustrations and hopelessness he experienced as human limits faced overwhelming odds. This oversight too leaves the viewers detached from his inner turmoil; thus lessening the emotional and cognitive impact.

There is, however, one positive message this movie provides at the end of the film: Sometimes help comes just in time; at times almost a bit too late, but timely enough for the rescue. The story however left the prospect of rescue or not an open-ended question. Would his effort to surface enough allow his rescue possible?

The absence of an awareness of God in the movie, even at a moment of desperation and hopelessness, creates a situation for deeper discussion among Catholic viewers though. 

Points of Discussion

  1. Does the movie show the compassion of God even to a non-believer in a time most need? Or, the possible rescue was just a mere coincidence not related to any action of God? 
  2. Is it enough to live a good life without having to believe in God? 
  3. Does the sailor's predicament a test of his self-sufficiency, a test of his belief in the goodness of man, a test of the human power against that of nature, or is it simply a consequence for irrational decision to take the seas alone?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Utilitarianism in Ender's Game (2014)

Scriptwriter Gavin Hood Rating 👍(8 of 10) Watch for the beautiful and absorbing story, the digital wonders, as well as the thought-provoking moral issues that character face and make choices. Review The story is tight and interesting, particularly to young viewers. The plot is unpredictable enough to be fascinating with twists that are logically reasonable as well as well thought out. The characters are well-fleshed out with the main characters shown with enough depth to be convincing. The graphics are convincing too as well as credibly imaginative. Above all, the content handled many positive lessons that the Catholic audience will find valuable and useful to learn. First is man’s primal instinct to survive. When placed in a tight situation, a person will expectedly do what it takes to survive. While playing the mind game, Ender found himself in a no-choice situation wherein the two options presented were no option at all, as either brings his game character to deat...
Post a Comment
Read more

Erroneous 'Catholicism' in the River of Darkness

  Screenwriter: Bruce Koehler Director: Bruce Koehler Rating: 👎 If you are Catholic, do not waste yourself watching this film. The Review The 2011 independent film tells of a ‘rural’ (not ‘urban’) legend involving an avenging ghost who was murdered several years ago for a crime they did not commit but the townspeople levied against them. The plot is built on the foundation of scapegoating. The plot is complicated by the local townspeople's conspiracy, local law enforcement politics, and the presence of city-based paranormal researchers who are oblivious to the real danger they have inserted themselves out of curiosity. It is not known how Catholic the townspeople are. However, they have a church and do believe in evil spirits, including the storyline’s superstition of evil spirits reappearing for revenge and capable of killing flesh-and-blood human beings. Unmistakably, the plot is the stuff of rural legend. The Catholic understanding of demonology does not agree with the concept ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Catholic Values in A Walk in the Clouds

  Screenwriters: Robert Mark Kamen & Mark Miller Director: Alfonso Arau Rating: 👍(10 of 10) Watch for the fascinating sense of humor and depth of Catholic values in the film. The Review The film is inevitably Catholic for its theme of chaste love and traditional contexts without saying anything about Catholicism. Moreover, the plot makes the story tasteful, glorious, and passionate, as Chicago Sun-Times film critique Robert Ebert noted: “ A Walk in the Clouds is a glorious romantic fantasy, aflame with passion and bittersweet longing. One needs perhaps to have a little of these qualities in one’s soul to respond fully to the film, which to a jaundiced eye might look like overworked melodrama, but that to me sang with innocence and trust.” [1] The great things about the film do not end with its Catholic theme and plot. The great musical score from Maurice Jarre successfully set the beautiful tone of the movie even from the opening credits. The score, with the percussion remove...
Post a Comment
Read more