It’s been a long time since an earnest true story was captured on celluloid. The trailer of ‘Against The Sun’ is reminiscent of quite a few films including Tom Hanks’ ‘Cast Away’ and the recently released ‘Unbroken’ – however, it still catches your imagination.
Set against the backdrop of World War II, ‘Against The Sun’, is the story of 3 US Airmen stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In January 1942, pilot Harold Dixon had to ditch his torpedo bomber aircraft in the middle of the sea as they had drifted off course and had run out of fuel.
The only thing they managed to pull out of the bomber plane was the inflatable raft and before they could lay a hand on any other supplies, the plane sunk with astounding speed. The very next morning they realised that their search party had missed them and they were destined to die at sea.
Instead of taking a defeatist approach, they decided to fight for their survival.
With no oars, no map, no food, no water and nowhere to go – the 3 men survived in a raft for 34 days. Not less than a miracle.
Not many films based on true stories with only 3 characters would keep you engaged for a whole 100 minutes but Brian Falk’s directorial debut keeps you engrossed throughout. The screenplay, also penned by Brian Falk and Mark David Keegan is credible – given the limitation of the setting and the fact that there are only 3 principal characters and the sea.
Earlier titled ‘Ghosts of the Pacific’, the landscape of the film doesn’t change post the first 5 minutes, but the journey is full of emotional ups and downs.
The film immerses you in the plight of the 3 men who swing from being hopeful to hungry to helpless.
Shot in Baja Studios in Mexico – where the epic ‘Titanic’ was shot – the makers of the film have done full justice to the film. The graphics – right from rebuilding the plane to crashing it – and the sunburn makeup on the actors is commendable and so are the performances by all the 3 leading men, including the efforts they put in to lose weight for the authenticity of the film.
Tom Felton far from his avtar of Draco Malfoy is very likeable as the vulnerable Tony Pastula.
Jake Abel gives a strong performance and Garret Dillahunt as the captain convinces you to dislike him and feel sorry for him through this journey of more than a 1000 miles.
It is a journey that brings 3 men closer together as they fight for their survival and it is also a journey that tears these 3 men apart as they start pointing fingers at each other for the situation they are in.
Quite a few scenes in the film leave a huge impact – be it Dillahunt drinking his own pee; sharks hovering around the raft; the 3 of them praying for rain; and the joy they feel when it actually rains. ‘Against The Sun’ is not just a film – it is a story of hope and a victory of the mind against all odds.
Reasons why you should watch this film: if you like stories based on true incidents; if you enjoy watching honest performances; if you are a World War II buff; if you are a Tom Felton fan.