All Is Lost

“All is lost,” writes this movie’s protagonist (Robert Redford), expressing his feelings in a ship’s log. They are some of the only spoken words in the movie, which is a tour de force of one man’s attempt at survival at sea against seemingly impossible odds. Redford’s character (called Our Man in the credits) flashes back to eight days before, when his sailboat collided with a stray storage bin in the middle of the Indian Ocean. More obstacles ensue.

ClearPlay In Action!

All Is Lost was rated PG-13 for “brief strong language.” It’s very brief, as it consists of one word uttered in anger. ClearPlay edits that and some partially spoken profanities, as well as a scene involving a little blood from a wound. Sensitive viewers may be disturbed by the life-threatening situations the protagonist goes through, but the ClearPlayed version is fine for most mature audience members.

Does Lost founder?...

Boosted by a strong performance and excellent production values, All Is Lost is a sort of Gravity on the high seas. No real dialogue after an opening narration, a single cast member, and lots of water lead to a compelling story. If there is a weakness, it’s that Our Man has no backstory, so the only reason to care about his survival is that he’s human, and Robert Redford to boot. As it turns out, that’s more than enough.

Marty Nabhan - Captain ClearPlay

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language; 106 min; Directed by J.C. Chandor