All Is Lost by J.C. Chandor

The title of this film by J.C. Chandor, All Is Lost, is a state of mind that its main character, a solitary old man sailing in the Indian Ocean and played by Robert Redford, does not let himself enter until the utmost moment of loss. Building a story to fit precisely around that idea within the setting given, the filmmaker displays a level of craftsmanship - on his second feature - that leaves me feeling excited for what his career has in store. As carefully orchestrated as Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity and as riveting as the director's own first feature film, Margin Call, All Is Lost is an exercise in basic, concise, and utterly-focused filmmaking. It's a thrill to watch and a pleasure to contemplate.

In an interview discussing the movie, Redford said he was interested in the part because it seemed like it would be a purely cinematic experience. He explained that for him, that meant a very visual narrative, that it could almost be a silent film. As I consider that term, "cinematic," in the context of this movie I think of the strengths that film has over other media for artistic expression. First and foremost is the ability to grab and hold the attention of the audience by providing both sight and sound. And as an extension of that, it is a way to communicate through a sort of mind meld, without the need for an explicit description of what is happening. You just watch, think, and feel. Certainly there are oodles of wonderful films with plenty of witty or dramatic dialogue, narration, or other forms of written and verbal communication. And "cinematic" could also be interpreted many other legitimate ways, but as far as high impact, emotional, and visual storytelling goes, that old, handsome devil is right: All Is Lost is a purely cinematic experience.

Watching the trailer or merely looking at the movie poster tells you all you really need to know of the premise: a man sailing in deep, ocean waters is confronted with a situation that looks like its only headed from bad to worse. It's not too much of a spoiler to say that the burden of helpful resources at the disposal of Our Man (the character's name in the credits) gets lightened throughout the length of the film. Indeed, Chandor explains briefly in a commentary track that the loss (a key word, being part of the title) of each physical item or asset in the film may correspond with an equally distressing, but perhaps ultimately relieving emotional shedding.

The only verbal clue we're given of Our Man's origins is the contents of a letter, read at the introduction of the film but written much later. An excerpt goes, "I'm sorry... I know that means little at this point, but I am. I tried, I think you would all agree that I tried. To be true, to be strong, to be kind, to love, to be right. But I wasn't... All is lost here... except for soul and body... that is, what's left of them..." That certainly seems consistent with common notions of deathbed contemplations. It sounds like a man that realizes he could've done better (don't we all). An allegorical hint we're given comes near the beginning of the struggle as his high-tech navigation gear gets doused with sea water. We see him leafing through a copy of "Introduction to Celestial Navigation," presumably for the first time. Later on he pulls out an unused sextant. You would think if you were doing a major solo trip across an ocean that learning how to get your bearings the old fashioned way would be a priority. You might also think a man in his 70's would have developed a strong sense of spirituality (aka, celestial navigation) throughout life's ups and downs.

For me, the idea of embarking on a journey like this seems noble and brave, and so it's easy to like this guy. His grace under fire is impressive - but also not unrealistic. The serenity and focus with which he confronts a series of disastrous, life-threatening situations just points out that sometimes survival only comes by keeping your head in the here and now. He rarely takes the time to reflect on his predicament. On one hand, that trait is key to his survival. On the other, if we consider that he may have lived his whole life this way, that unreflective nature may be the reason behind what he writes. Perhaps there is a lesson that life has been trying to teach him that won't come any other way.

All Is Lost is another entry in a strain of films, like Gravity, Castaway, or The Truman Show, where learning comes only along with going to the edge of life and deciding to hold on. J.C. Chandor's ability to draw out that essence of the story is a result of a laser-focus on communicating that concept and only making decisions, both planned and spontaneous, that get right at the heart of his purpose. After watching some of the featurettes on the blu-ray you realize that although it's an indie film with a presumably small budget, the filmmaking team is efficient and exacting in the production process, and yet still able to allow the serendipitous, in-the-moment surprises become a part of the movie. I admire that adherence to craft while working in a medium that, by necessity, is collaborative and, I expect at times, desperate. Chandor's a director whose future work I look forward to with anticipation.

Other notes:

• It's a visually stunning film, despite being so simple. There are over 300 visual effects shots, only a couple of which are obvious, and in these it is only because logically you wouldn't expect them to actually put Robert Redford on a small sailboat in the middle of a raging storm. And there are quite a lot of shots you might be tempted to think are fake but are indeed completely real. He really did jump into that lifeboat.
• Alex Ebert, lead singer of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, does a fantastic job with the score. I'll toot my own horn and say that I suspected something in the main theme that very subtly smacked of Edward Sharpe and so I was smugly satisfied when I saw Ebert's name in the credits (I have a witness to confirm this - both my prediction and the smugness).
• Although some have understandably felt that Chandor's two features, Margin Call and All is Lost, are miles apart from each for being so different (I'm look at you Matt Zoller Seitz, I would say he has a penchant for showing people dealing with situations that are falling to pieces before them. That's a line I'm making from only two points, but still, the name of the next movies he's working on is A Most Violent Year.
• Robert Redford gives the performance of a lifetime and it really is too bad he wasn't nominated for an Oscar. Looking back at the field of competition for that award, I definitely think there was some room for him despite the range of talent that were represented.