Adapted from a book which is inspired by a true to life experience, “Adrift” is a spectacular story of survival of Tami Oldham Ashcraft (Shailene Woodley) as she gets lost in the ocean for 41 days in 1983. With her fiancé Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin) onboard a yacht, she faces one of the most disastrous hurricanes in history, hunger, hallucination and hopelessness.

Every fragment of this drama film captures every place in my heart.  The direction, visual and music score, screenplay and characters deftly deliver an ingenious impact that just leaves me jaw-dropped all throughout the movie. I just can’t help but give “Adrift” a standing ovation.

The movie starts smoothly, ripples in the middle and then just floods as it approaches the ending. Cheers to Baltasar Kormákur. His direction productively brings out the escalating element of the story. The terrific trick of alternating scenes of Tami and Richard’s love story and the tragic fate they encounter in the first half of the film is effective as it prepares me to the movie’s cunning climax. Additionally, the visual effects, especially in the scene where the couple tries to brave the storm, fuel sufficient power to make me feel I am in the movie. The music score also imparts a big role to justify the texture of each scene: a trace of drama or a touch of suspense.

Furthermore, the screenplay of Aaron and Jordan Kandell and David Branson Smith splendidly seasons the adaptation.  The storyline is rich in well-crafted dialogues that I find very striking, smart and romantic. One example is the couple’s argument to what the color of the sunset is. Tami says, “So red.” But Richard laughs and claims, “That sunset is… beach-dyed pomegranate.” And what’s more stunning is the unexpected twist of the film which has surprised me on my seat (since I never heard of this story or read the book). It’s brilliant and heart-stopping.

Woodley’s portrayal as Tami just makes me give a nod of approval like what she did to me in her other previous movies. She is convincing portraying a strong but doubtful woman which has abled her to successfully hook my eyes to pay full attention. Claflin also interprets Richard’s character in a remarkable way. Like Woodley, he shows depth and a gripping presence in the film. All in all, both of their performances are breathtaking. Even their chemistry adds oxygen to make “Adrift” more alive.

In the end of the movie, honestly, I broke down in tears. As photos of real Tami and Richard flash in the screen, the emotions that have built in from the beginning just overflowed and found their way out. I hope you will get this feeling too when you watch this film. Well, I think you will.