Adrift

After watching the movie once or twice, I went looking for the book it was based on-- The Woman Who was Found Adrift-- but there seemed to be no English edition. The film seems to be about plain people enmeshed in a situation rife with symbolism, but it's hard to work out the symbols. Today, tricked too many times by meaningless David Lynch films, we might just assume that there is no underlying message; but the film is a little too old-- and a little too intelligent, I think-- to be a put-on.

First of all I bought this movie because I saw a still from the movie-a shot of Paula Pritchard. WOW! Secondly-I am learning Czech in anticipation of a trip to the Czech Republic in 2002, and I am also reading about the Czech "New Wave" cinema in a book by Peter Hames. I see the reoccurring theme/symbol as the lamp inside the house.There seems to be some "time-tripping" going on as well (ala Pulp Fiction or Slaughterhouse Five). I'm going to have to watch the movie again, and again, and again to understand more of what is going on. Of course looking at Paula is fine in its own right...

A man saves a young woman from drowning. She seems to have no past, so he takes her home to his wife and son. His family adopts the woman, but her savior finds himself obsessed by the woman. He is both attracted and repulsed by her, following her and spying on her. There is also something of a frame device, with the man talking to a group of fishermen at night, that I am not certain I completely understood.

Adrift has a story that probably would have worked better on the page than on the screen. The story meanders, at times, seemingly going nowhere. Film audiences tend to expect more forward motion.

On the plus side, some of the film's images are strong. The ending is nicely done. I also liked Paula Pritchett as the woman saved from downing. She gives off a perfectly mysterious air. A viewer can understand both why the family would invite her to stay and how the head of the family could become so obsessed with her.

I didn't dislike my viewing of Adrift, but I am not sure I would watch it again. The film needed something more. Perhaps a stronger director, a Roman Polanski, could have brought more life to the story. As it is, Adrift is a mildly interesting experiment.