Adrift 2018

As Tami (Shailene Woodley) slowly regains consciousness on the ravaged sailing yacht Hazaña, the reality of her isolation sets in like a crushing wave. The absence of her fiancé Richard (Sam Clafin) is palpable, and the desperate search for him reveals the horrifying truth: he’s been swept overboard during the devastating hurricane that crippled their vessel. Tami’s anguished screams echo across the desolate expanse of sea and sky, a stark reminder that she is completely alone, with no sign of rescue or reprieve in sight.

Flashback to five months prior, when Tami Oldham first arrived in Tahiti on board the schooner Sofia, where she met Richard Sharp, a British sailor with a captivating aura. As they dined together on his boat, Mayaluga, Richard shared his enigmatic struggles with hallucinations at sea, foreshadowing the trials that would soon beset them.

In the present, Tami’s predicament becomes increasingly dire as she surveys the ruined electronics on Hazaña, rendered useless by water damage. With no means of sending out distress calls, her only hope lies in spotting Richard clinging to a makeshift raft and attempting to sail towards him - an effort ultimately thwarted by the crippled yacht.

Undeterred, Tami must resort to resourcefulness to repair the ship’s damage. She fabricates a makeshift sail using a broken pole and a storm jib, and with a makeshift pump, she prevents the cabin from flooding. This arduous labor culminates in her rescue of Richard, who is found struggling with broken ribs and a shattered right shin.

As Tami tends to his injuries, she’s forced to confront the severity of her own head wound, which she stitches together using a sail needle and thread. It’s a stark reminder that even in the midst of catastrophe, human resilience can prevail.

The film then rewinds to 1983, where Tami and Richard encounter Peter and Christine Crompton (Jeffery Thomas and Elizabeth Hawthorne), the enigmatic owners of Hazaña, a luxurious Trintella yacht. The Cromptons offer Richard a lucrative deal: $10,000 and a return first-class ticket to Tahiti in exchange for helping them navigate their vessel to San Diego, California, due to a family emergency in London. Richard accepts, with the condition that Tami accompanies him.

Initially hesitant, Tami eventually agrees to join the voyage, only to be swept up in Richard’s romantic overtures as he proposes to her with a handmade ring. It’s a poignant moment, one that foreshadows the trials they’ll face on their ill-fated journey and the unyielding spirit of survival that will define their struggle for survival.

As reality sets in, Tami (character name) awakens from her surreal reverie to confront a stark new challenge: a tanker vessel hurtling towards their beleaguered yacht, Hazaña. With a sense of urgency, she dispatches multiple flares into the darkness, but the ship sails on, oblivious to their plight. The crushing realization dawns on Tami that this was merely a product of her frazzled imagination. Meanwhile, Richard’s condition takes a turn for the worse as he succumbs to a raging fever, his only solace being the recollection that the crimson sky at dawn signaled an approaching tempest. With the storm bearing down upon them, Tami readies themselves and Richard for the impending deluge by constructing a makeshift sanctuary.

As the clock ticks closer to the arrival of Hurricane Raymond, Tami and Richard receive dire news of the impending catastrophe but press on towards San Diego, veering slightly off-course in a desperate bid to avoid the eye of the storm. Despite their best efforts, Tami’s pleas for assistance via radio go unanswered, leaving them at the mercy of the tempest. The storm’s unpredictable trajectory sends Hazaña careening into the heart of the hurricane, where the yacht struggles to stay afloat as the mainsail tears and the after boom snaps in two. With no other choice, Richard and Tami lower the sails to prevent the vessel from capsizing under the unrelenting gusts.

As they battle their way back to the cockpit, Tami narrowly avoids being pitched overboard by the yacht’s violent heaves and turbulent waves. It is then that Richard confesses his undying love for Tami, urging her to seek shelter below deck where she would be safer from the raging tempest. As Hazaña continues to buck and twist in the fury of the storm, it encounters a rogue wave that sends the vessel into a series of death-defying flips. Tami is thrown about the cabin, suffering a severe head injury, while Richard is knocked unconscious by the mast and his safety harness fails, sending him plummeting into the dark depths of the ocean. The Hazaña, meanwhile, continues to somersault through the waves before finally floating back to the surface, leaving behind a trail of devastation and chaos.

As reality sets in, Tami’s illusions of finding injured Richard dissipate like morning mist, leaving her with the crushing truth: he has vanished at sea. The horizon stretches out before her, a seemingly endless expanse of blue, where islands rise and fall like mirages. With binoculars trained on the distant archipelago, she spots a Japanese research vessel making its way towards her, guided by the twin beacons of hope - two flares fired into the darkness. As the ship draws near, Tami’s weary form is lifted from the waters, her battered body finally finding solace in the gentle rocking motion of the rescue craft.

Back on dry land, Tami returns to Tahiti, her journey marked by the haunting memories of Richard and their shared adventures. Her steps lead her inevitably to his beloved boat, the Mayaluga, where a poignant pilgrimage awaits. As she stands before the shrine of their life together - a gallery of cherished moments frozen in time - Tami’s composure falters, overwhelmed by the tears she has been holding at bay. The following days see her return to the beach, where the cyclical rhythms of nature converge with her own introspection. With a frangipani flower as her symbolic companion, she carefully places Richard’s engagement ring around its delicate petals and releases it into the waves, a bittersweet farewell to their shared dreams.

In the credits that follow, the truth is revealed: Richard Sharp was lost at sea, his fate forever shrouded in mystery. Meanwhile, Tami Oldham remains at the helm of her trusty vessel, the Hazaña, continuing to navigate the open waters for 41 long days - a testament to her indomitable spirit and unyielding resolve.