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J.C. Chandor's All is Lost is an exhilarating cinematic experience that doesn't require much in-depth analysis to detail. Our Man Robert Redford is piloting a sinking ship. Water is slowly creeping into the lower cabins, and he's doing all he can to keep himself afloat. Nature throws all it can at him, and everything seems to go against his survival. He only needs to make it to the safe zone, where hopefully some stray ship will pick him up.
There's almost no dialogue in All is Lost, and really there doesn't need to be. Our Man is stripped of all his outer shell, no time for idle self-talk. He needs to be focused, and this story doesn't require a narrative. Everything is easily deciphered on screen, and the action all speaks for itself. At 77 years old, Redford is surprisingly resilient to the amounts of physical torture and just overbearing work that could entail making a one-man movie. Being on screen the entire time doesn't allow for any breaks between characters, since there is only one to focus on, and this character's survival and development is surprisingly well-detailed on screen.
The suspense of "Will he make it?" is, of course, the driving point of the film. It would be pointless to watch 100 minutes of a man struggling for survival if we were already certain he was going to make it. Chandor doesn't give us any hints on what will happen- we are as blind as Our Man is, trekking out into the deep, unknown ocean. Given Redford's age, we would probably expect him to be a lot more physically challenged in the circumstances in All Is Lost, and he does. Yet there is some magical spark in his eye that shows us a will to live. That he will do absolutely anything necessary to survive out in the open waters. We don't know why he's out there. We don't know how he got into his predicament. We only know that he is on a fight for survival, and we only care about how he will live through this endeavor. And the way Chandor and Redford build up the suspense of the story throughout the runtime is purely cinematic magic.
All is Lost is a suspenseful and exhilirating film that perfectly depicts one man's struggle to survive. Films like this and Life of Pi show how great some directors can be with minimal props, dialogue, and some special effects. The lack of dialogue surprisingly didn't bother me, it actually helped keep me hooked onto the screen, because it can be all too easy nowadays to just look away from the screen the whole time. You need to pay attention to Our Man's actions, and just how he will get through his ordeal, in order to get the complete experience. That's what's so unique about All is Lost. It forces us to pay attention, to watch the screen in eager anticipation. We feel a connection with this man, and we sympathize for him. Will he survive out on the open sea? This exhilarating experience can answer that question. I guarantee it will be unforgettable.