The Surface

I just discovered this film on Amazon Prime and saw that it had Sean Astin in it. I have liked Seans parts in every film I've seen him in so I figured I'd like this one. It's a slow paced film that mostly takes place on a boat, but the depth of the characters and the meaning behind the story carries the film through. Just a good solid film without out the bells and whistles.

I've seen a number of this type of movie--men against each other against nature. I generally enjoy them and this one was no exception. Astin was remarkably good as Mitch, the depressed adult child of the Alzheimer's-affected mother. He is clearly ridden by guilt and sadness when he goes out on the boat for what purpose, the viewer can only guess at.

Astin could easily have carried an entire movie by himself. He can express a wide range of emotions in a believable way, although in this film he's prone to just sadness, anger, and wistful amusement. When he's paired with Mulkey, the story takes on an entirely different tone. While he was depressed and self-absorbed prior to discovering the crashed plane, Mitch begins to care about life again. Not his own, at first, but definitely Mulkey's. Mitch begins to understand that he's not just there to face his own life, but also to (as corny as it sounds) forgive himself and take his place in this changed life.

Despite what could be a very depressing subject matter, the interaction between the two men had me laughing out loud a few times. It wasn't exactly a heartwarming movie, but it left me feeling satisfied with the ending and the way in which the storylines were tied up. The only thing is, I wish we'd gotten a chance to see Mitch's choice of dog. This movie is not for anyone who wants to see "Adrift" or "Dead Calm," but is generally enjoyable for someone who thinks that tension and violence are not inexorably intertwined.

Being an older person, I remember when serious acting was still the expectation of good movies, before special effects were given the priorities. This film is a very good and believable study of how two very different men might be brought together in very fantastically different circumstances. The fact that in the ending credits the note is made that the events of the film are based on actual happenings does much to explain and reinforce some of my personal beliefs about "pre-destination" and possibly "Divine" intervention. The main actors did an excellent job, considering the limitations of being pretty much a two actor film for most of the movie, and how the chance meeting of the two would change their lives forever.

I strongly suggest you might overlook some of the films negative ratings and see it for the very good film it is.

I normally love survival and man vs. nature films. I think you can break down events in these kinds of movies into several categories:

*Man vs. Craft - Troubles with the mode of transportation (a small boat in this case) *Man vs. Nature - Troubles with weather, predators, etc. *Man vs. Man - Troubles with the other survivors *Man vs. Potential Rescuers - Often not seen by potential rescuers or they can be hostile

This movie offered up very few interactions within these categories, settling instead for some average dialog.

Another big problem is that the movie failed to make you care about the characters enough to really root for their survival. Also the dialog between the two suddenly became more intimate and personal with no transition to ease the viewer along.

The dialog between the two characters covered some decent ground but was not well-written. The characters will not built out enough for you to sympathize or even fully understand their issues soon enough to cement your interest in their survival.

It's a shame because survival movies are generally a good watch.

Reasonably well filmed.

Read some Jack London to experience the genre at its peak.

I like this movie. It was simple. I think people have forgotten how to enjoy a simple movie with a simple message. It is such a breath of fresh air not to have some stupid twisted ending.