The movie Cast Away is a survival drama movie, which stars Tom Hanks as the main character, and the film was both produced and directed by Robert Zemeckis in 2000. The actor plays an analyst for FedEx, Chuck Noland, who becomes an only survivor of a plane crash, which resulted in him being trapped on a remote island with no other inhabitants. The storyline is centered around an individual who dedicates the majority of his time to work with little to no time spent with his family. From the very first moments on the island, awareness of one’s existence becomes prominent and apparent, where the existing values are shifted or even disappeared due to major changes in the circumstances. Tom Hanks delivers outstanding performance by being able to clearly and strongly convey the feelings and emotions of the main character. It is important to note that audience is forced to focus solely on him because there are no other people present through the majority of the film. The given movie also focuses on one’s capability of survival and challenges faced in such an environment, where many critical details are considered.
Viewing makes one imagine yourself in the place of the hero, and there is a battle between inability and self-preservation instinct is impressive. The main character goes to great lengths to survive, and it is the desire to live that serves as the core. The primary obstacles are manifested in overpowering the forces of nature and the elements, which makes Chuck a realistic and relatable character. It is important to point out that to set a shelter is still half the battle because the longing for the abandoned world comes gradually. The only benefits of civilization available to him turned out to be hidden in the luggage of the plane, which the current brought to the shore, and these are a woman’s dress, video tapes, skates, and Wilson’s ball (Zemeckis, 2000). The ball is considered the main attribute and symbol of the movie. Complete loneliness is brought to the point that the character animates this object, and alongside with Chuck, the audience learns to be content with minimal comfort, using a sharpened stick to catch crabs and professionally open the hard shell of coconuts as well as make fire by friction.
The film is the most reliable depiction about a person’s stay on a remote and uninhabited island, and it fully covers all aspects of a person’s survival capabilities. The actor directly conveys all the feelings and motivation of his character, placing a great deal of emphasis on conversations with Wilson, who silently “observes” all the action of Chuck, however, thereby forcing him to move forward in search of salvation (Craft-Fairchild, 2015). The main character needs support, and he needs an incentive, which is why Wilson is always there to provide some form of comfort and company. It can be considered that this subject to be a supporting actor, even if it is an inanimate object.
The romantic experiences of Tom’s hero have an impact on his survival and struggles. Despite the adaptability to live, despite the touching friendship with the ball, it was love for his wife that gave the necessary vitality. Every day the main character fell asleep looking at a photograph of his beloved. He dreamed about meeting her and imagined a potentially bright future together. Towards the end of the story, the element of love and longing for a real partner becomes more and more emotional, which evident due to the outstanding acting skills of Tom Hanks. The realism of the storyline, obstacles, and hardships make the character relatable because many people would have acted in a similar fashion. A drama that, to some extent, covers all the ill-fated adventures of the hero on the island shows that the world is ruled not by duties or technology but rather by feelings. In other words, love plays an integral part of the main character’s motivation and drive throughout the film.
From the first minutes of the film, at the moment when the hero finds himself in the place of his eternal stay, viewers are immediately imbued with an oppressive and seemingly hopeless atmosphere. The plot is not dynamic, and in places, the narration can be considered as unnecessarily lengthy. However, it is critical to note that the story takes place is an uninhabited island, which means that it cannot be active and dynamic. The situations in which Hanks’ character finds himself on the island evoke sympathy and somewhere fear. The audience begins to identify themselves with the main character, and as a result, one can say that the picture is not monotonous. The film has its own atmosphere and its own dynamics, unlike anything else in the cinematography. It is a story about hardships of survival, isolation, loneliness, and hope for salvation. The tragedy makes the main character’s value structure crumble, where he finally resets his priorities in regards to his work and family.
References
Craft-Fairchild, C. (2015). Castaway and cast away: Colonial, imperial, and religious discourses in Daniel Defoe and Robert Zemeckis. Journal of Religion and Film, 9(1), 1-22.
Zemeckis, R. (Director). (2000). Cast away [Video file].