Review of All Is Lost (2013) by Adam R — 16 Apr 2016

A masterfully told tale of survival, making perfect use of its extremely limited budget and cast. It should go without saying that Robert Redford carries this film on his shoulders. A master like him really needs no introduction. With just his facial expressions alone, he manages to portray a man who goes from supremely confident in his abilities to desperately hanging on to life by a thread. You're given the barest of bones to this man's history. What you see is literally what you get, but there's no need for a backstory here. This character's desire to live is one that we all can relate to in some way and that's just enough. The camerawork is especially of note. J.C. Chandor films the sea in a way that is both sprawling and beautiful but also dangerous and terrifying. All is Lost is certainly something to check out and let the experience take you away.

Who'd like it: If you love pure visual storytelling and are willing to suspend your disbelief about (potential) fallacies in sailing protocol, then you should definitely give this a shot. Make it a double feature with Gravity.