Robert Redford brilliant in J C Chandor’s film All Is Lost

DON’T be fooled by the micro-minimalist structure of J C Chandor’s All Is Lost. There is a big film in there just waiting to be discovered.

ALL IS LOST (PG)

Director: J.C. Chandor (Margin Call)

Starring: Robert Redford

The choice is his alone: think or swim

A man. The sea. No dialogue.

Don’t be fooled by the micro-minimalist structure of All Is Lost. There is a big film in there just waiting to be discovered.

The plotting is brutally basic. Somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean, a small boat is slowly sinking.

The sole passenger aboard is a nameless fellow in his mid-70s. He looks as if he could be an experienced sailor.

Masterful performance ... Robert Redford as Our Man in a scene from All Is Lost. Picture: Supplied

He had better be. Time is running out. The vessel is filling up. What will he do?

The only character in this intensely gripping, but also serenely contemplative drama is referred to in the official credits as “Our Man”.

As played so masterfully by the great Robert Redford, Our Man knows the odds are stacked up high against him. Take another look at the title of the film. No false advertising here, folks.

And yet, he does not panic. In fact, he barely reacts at all to an ever-changing series of predicaments.

You can tell there are several thoughts racing through his mind, many of them are purely tactical. Just check how calmly his survival instincts kick in when the boat enters a frightening squall.

At one point, Our Man is swept overboard, and held underwater by a tangled sail. The boat is moving at pace, dragging him along like a rag doll. Just how he makes back
on deck is nothing short of a miracle.

As he is staring imminent death right in the eye, there must also be stabs of fear, regret and grim resignation hitting Our Man like a thunderbolt.

This is where Redford’s bravura performance really comes to the fore: virtually every indication of his character’s emotional state is suppressed with extraordinary control.

Whenever Redford does choose to briefly show us how Our Man might be feeling, the connection he makes with the viewer for a fleeting moment is truly electric.

The stunning piece of acting owes much to the shrewdly intuitive scripting and direction of J.C. Chandor. Amazingly, this is only his second feature.

Mark his name down as one to watch. Chandor could potentially turn out to be as fresh and innovative a talent of the likes of Christopher Nolan and Spike Jonze in the near future.

Stunning piece of acting ... Robert Redford as Our Man in movie All Is Lost. Picture: Supplied