Freeze Frame: “Adrift” (PG-13), “The Rider” (R)

If you’re planning a boat trip any time soon, you may not want to see “Adrift,” a harrowing true story. Shailene Woodley plays Tami Oldham, a young woman whose sailboat was severely damaged by a storm when she and her boyfriend, played by Sam Claflin, were attempting a trans-Atlantic trip. With little hope of survival, she had to muster some nearly superhuman determination to save herself and her loved one. This traumatic story is well produced and acted, but it’s also agonizing to sit through. You have to admire the tenacity and courage Oldham demonstrated, but if you’re prone to seasickness, you may want to keep an extra popcorn bag handy.

 “The Rider” was inspired by another harrowing true story. This ultra-realistic low-budget indie from writer-director Chloé Zhao has won a number of film festival awards. It features a non-professional cast in the tale of a contemporary cowboy. Brady Jandreau plays a slightly fictionalized version of himself, a young bronc rider from South Dakota who endures a near-fatal head injury. He has to do some serious self-examination to determine how to proceed with his life when he realizes he won’t be able to pursue his professional rodeo dreams.

 Jandreau is joined in the film by his real-life father, sister and friends, including Lane Scott, his best friend and bronc-busting idol who suffered a rodeo accident that left him paralyzed.

While this low-key film is definitely not for everyone, it’s a beautifully made and poetic character study.

Also opening this week, “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” is a comic sci-fi fantasy based on a short story by Neil Gaiman. Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman and Alex Sharp star in this story of a teenager in punk rock 70s London who falls for a beautiful alien visiting from another planet. “Action Point” is a comedy starring Johnny Knoxville about an amusement park filled with dangerous rides.


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