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Adrift (2006)

Director: Hans Horn

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2 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Sailing in the wake of the aquatic chiller ‘Open Water’, this visually imaginative low-budget feature treads the same water, but causes a few more emotional ripples. Invited onto their pal’s luxury yacht for a reunion weekend, a group of old high-school friends jump off the anchored boat into the sea, but forget to lower the steps that would allow them to climb back on board. Only a steep, slippery hull stands between them and salvation, but when their improvised self-rescue efforts come to nothing, old antagonisms and jealous tensions start to surface – not least because, when their irresponsible host Dan jokingly pitched his hydrophobic ex-girlfriend Amy over the side, he left her young baby still onboard. German-born director Hans Horn’s skilful use of anamorphic widescreen images makes the most of the marine vistas and reflective surfaces, although some of the tank-shot scenes have a distracting, artificial look. An ensemble of unknown actors works hard to exploit the tight dramatic parameters, with uneven results. Even so, they keep things afloat right up to the fudged, disappointing ending.

Author: Nigel Floyd

Time Out London Issue 1880: August 30-September 6 2006

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User reviews of this film

Kirsty said...

Posted on Mar 23 2009 23:30 I agree with Bryan - especially when that girl does a Captain Oates in the middle of it. For shame. And then the old man of the sea comes rocking along, like some kind pf aquatic bin lady, with a boat full of plastic bottles and string.

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Bryan said...

Posted on Mar 23 2009 23:20 This film is an utterly implausible waste of time - they could easily have got back on that boat as is clearly evidenced when they eventually do. Every dramatic tension is telegraphed way in advance and even from the start wondering why you should care about these essentially boring characters. And whacking a baby in the middle is contrived and tiresome. Then she jumps back in. Flaps!

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