Film: "Against The Sun"; Cast: Garret Dillahunt, Tom Felton, Jake Abel and Nadia Para; Director: Brian Falk; Rating: **1/2
A
harrowing 34-day ordeal of survival and endurance, "Against The Sun" is
based on Robert Trumbull's novel "The Raft". It's a true story that
occurred during the World War II.
On January 16, 1942, three US
Naval Air Force men, airborne in the South Pacific seas, realiSe that
they have strayed away from their course. They don't have enough fuel to
get back to their aircraft carrier and the inevitable happens. The
aircraft crash lands into the sea and sinks, but not before the three
could struggle to cling onto an inflatable rubber raft.
Once in
the raft, the three men introduce themselves as pilot Harold Dixon
(Garret Dillahunt), bombardier Tony Pastula (Tom Felton) and radioman
Gene Aldrich (Jake Abel). And a quick survey of the raft reveals that
they have, "no flashlights, no maps, no food and water."
Dixon
being the pilot, takes charge of the raft and dictates what gets thrown
over. The other two oblige in the faith that the leader knows the best.
Cheerful
and with the hope they would be rescued soon, they mime serving each
other coffee, discuss food at home and lighten their anguish. And,
despite being clueless of where in the sea they are, rudderless and
directionless, they maintain a positive disposition.
But soon
they realise that Dixon is just another fallible human being. Their hope
turns into despair when they realise that they have no option when the
fish would not bite the bait they set. Reality sets in, Aldrich who
believes in survival of the fittest, rebels. Using his pen-knife he
catches a shark and they feast.
Gradually as days pass, you see
the trio in different moods, singing songs and nursery rhymes, praying
fervently and hoping for destiny to take its own course.
Visually
and thematically, the film has traces of director J.C. Chandor's "All
Is Lost", Ang Lee's "Life of Pi", Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken' and Alfred
Hitchcock's "Life Boat". But unlike any of these films, there are no
overtly dramatic moments in "Against The Sun". With limited resistance
from nature and inter-personal conflicts, the pace stagnates on a
languid narration.
The film belongs to the three actors. They
portray a strong sense of character in their performances. Their
optimism and despondency is transparent on screen but unfortunately,
there are moments of disconnect between the actors and their
performances. So there is no empathy between the audience and the
characters.
With ninety percent of the film shot entirely on the
small raft in the middle of the sea, the film holds your attention
because of the excellent cinematography by Petr Cikhart. Though some of
the wide angled night shots look staged, the day shots appear to be
natural. The raft tossing on the rough waves and the actors struggling
to hold on to the raft is a brilliant combination of action choreography
and filming.
Overall, "Against The Sun" is just another film about survivors of World War II. It is neither motivating nor enthralling.
