The Disappeared

Bad writing, acting and directing. My 5yr old could make this movie.

First off - This is a film that you should see. If you live in Toronto, it looks like it's coming out in theatres on November 1st at the Carlton Cinema.

I had a film in the 2013 Cannes Film Festival in France, and while there I was invited to come and see The Disappeared. I didn't know anything about the film going in, and I want anyone reading here to have the same experience, so I won't give anything away about the plot other than what is obvious from the poster :) 6 men, shipwrecked hundreds of miles from land in the North Atlantic, and trying to survive in 2 lifeboats on dwindling rations.

The power of this film is in its subtleties. Each of the 6 men have their own lives, hopes, and demons that they bring into the lifeboats. Some of those are in harmony with those of the other men...and some are not. Because the characters (and the camera) are bound to the lifeboats and the lifeboats alone, the film is persistently intense and focused. The imagery alone is haunting enough, but as time passes and the tension of the film increases, it becomes riveting. You want to look away, but you can't. By the end of the film, you feel as though you are in the boat with them.

Go see it!

Absolutely wonderful movie.

It's important not to go into it expecting flashy, fast-paced action like you see in a lot of oceanic survival movies. This movie exists to tell a story. The story of six men who represent every man lost at sea, fishing or not. Anyone who has any connection to the sea, whether it's through a family member, a friend or a childhood home needs to see this movie.

It takes a certain kind of person to enjoy movies like this. It does not distract from the story with clear obstacles, high-budgeted effects or any unnecessary information. Despite that, it's far from lifeless. Shandi Mitchell captured a terrifying realism in her depictions of the open water and the characters surviving on top of it.

The Disappeared takes you into a different head space, giving you plenty of time to pause and think. Like the characters, you are left reflecting on what is happening, and what that means for the future. The performances of the actors leave nothing left to be wanted, and Shawn Doyle took home the ACTRA award to prove it.

Remove yourself from the space of Hollywood jumble. Let The Disappeared show you a real and awe-inspiring story that you can never forget.

That this movie was a truly athletic event to make is obvious in every frame. Classic Maritimer personalities, a storyline that manages to be both authentic and meaningful at the same time, this is Canadian filmmaking at its best.

You could watch The Disappeared just for the cinematography, which proves that skill and vision can trump technological bells and whistles if you insist. The supporting features describe how the director got her shots by using good old-fashioned human determination, rather than helicopters and CGI, and the results justify the effort.

I come from seafaring people myself; this movie spoke to me.

The writer and director of this awful film obviously have never been to sea. That they can't write dialogue or direct their way out of a paper bag is also evident.

The issue is not food, it is water. You can go two to three weeks without any food and a lot longer if you can catch a few fish. But you cannot go three days without water in those conditions without loss of cognitive function and death shortly after. Also 60 minutes of rowing in a day in an open boat would double your water needs for a day. Also anyone involved in offshore fishing knows that it is not the distance to land -- but the currents that will or wont take you into shipping lanes that would matter. There are areas (eg where the Malaysian airliner went down) that have no regular shipping for 1,000 miles. But the area where they were is very close to extremely highly trafficked shipping lanes.