ADRIFT

This is a film that I wanted to love, but the more that it went on, the less interested I became.  To be fair, the first twenty minutes of the film are quite good, as is the final ten, but everything in between is just dull.  It is about a newlywed couple living in Hanoi.  The husband never gives his wife any attention especially sexually, to the point that she ends up accepting a stranger’s invitation for a weekend away at Halong Bay.  Little does the wife know that his invitation has been set up by her jealous (and maybe lesbian) best friend in an attempt to break up her marriage. 

The highlight of the film is definitely the Vietnamese scenery.  As soon as the film started, I could just feel Vietnam, especially with the constant noise of the traffic.  The film is set during the rainy season, so it was a bit different from our honeymoon which was during the dry season.  Once they travel to Halong Bay, the scenery continues to impress, but the story unfortunately loses steam.  Another problem that I had was that the cinematography was just too dark, making it hard to sometimes see what was actually happening.  Overall, I was pleased that this film gave me an opportunity to “feel” Vietnam again, but the dramatic arc of the narrative left me, ultimately, disappointed.

2.5 Stars - Viewed at the 2010 Melbourne International Film Festival