A
harrowing
34-day
ordeal
of
survival
and
endurance,
"Against
The
Sun" is
based
on
Robert
Trumbull's
novel
"The
Raft".
It's
a
true
story
that
occurred
during
the
World
War
II.
On
January
16,
1942,
three
US
Naval
Air
Force
men,
airborne
in
the
South
Pacific
seas,
realise
that
they
have
strayed
away
from
their
course.
They
don't
have
enough
fuel
to
get
back
to
their
aircraft
carrier
and
the
inevitable
happens.
The
aircraft
crash
lands
into
the
sea
and
sinks,
but
not
before
the
three
could
struggle
to
cling
onto
an
inflatable
rubber
raft.
Once
in
the
raft,
the
three
men
introduce
themselves
as
pilot
Harold
Dixon
(Garret
Dillahunt),
bombardier
Tony
Pastula
(Tom
Felton)
and
radioman
Gene
Aldrich
(Jake
Abel).
And
a
quick
survey
of
the
raft
reveals
that
they
have,
"no
flashlights,
no
maps,
no
food
and
water."
Dixon
being
the
pilot,
takes
charge
of
the
raft
and
dictates
what
gets
thrown
over.
The
other
two
oblige
in
the
faith
that
the
leader
knows
the
best.
Cheerful
and
with
the
hope
they
would
be
rescued
soon,
they
mime
serving
each
other
coffee,
discuss
food
at
home
and
lighten
their
anguish.
And,
despite
being
clueless
of
where
in
the
sea
they
are,
rudderless
and
directionless,
they
maintain
a
positive
disposition.
But
soon
they
realise
that
Dixon
is
just
another
fallible
human
being.
Their
hope
turns
into
despair
when
they
realise
that
they
have
no
option
when
the
fish
would
not
bite
the
bait
they
set.
Reality
sets
in,
Aldrich
who
believes
in
survival
of
the
fittest,
rebels.
Using
his
pen-knife
he
catches
a
shark
and
they
feast.
Gradually
as
days
pass,
you
see
the
trio
in
different
moods,
singing
songs
and
nursery
rhymes,
praying
fervently
and
hoping
for
destiny
to
take
its
own
course.
Visually
and
thematically,
the
film
has
traces
of
director
J.C.
Chandor's
"All
Is
Lost",
Ang
Lee's
"Life
of
Pi",
Angelina
Jolie's
"Unbroken'
and
Alfred
Hitchcock's
"Life
Boat".
But
unlike
any
of
these
films,
there
are
no
overtly
dramatic
moments
in
"Against
The
Sun".
With
limited
resistance
from
nature
and
inter-personal
conflicts,
the
pace
stagnates
on
a
languid
narration.
The
film
belongs
to
the
three
actors.
They
portray
a
strong
sense
of
character
in
their
performances.
Their
optimism
and
despondency
is
transparent
on
screen
but
unfortunately,
there
are
moments
of
disconnect
between
the
actors
and
their
performances.
So
there
is
no
empathy
between
the
audience
and
the
characters.
With
ninety
percent
of
the
film
shot
entirely
on
the
small
raft
in
the
middle
of
the
sea,
the
film
holds
your
attention
because
of
the
excellent
cinematography
by
Petr
Cikhart.
Though
some
of
the
wide
angled
night
shots
look
staged,
the
day
shots
appear
to
be
natural.
The
raft
tossing
on
the
rough
waves
and
the
actors
struggling
to
hold
on
to
the
raft
is
a
brilliant
combination
of
action
choreography
and
filming.
Overall,
"Against
The
Sun" is
just
another
film
about
survivors
of
World
War
II.
It
is
neither
motivating
nor
enthralling.