This Movie Is Based On The True Story Of A Couple Who Were Shipwrecked For 41 Days

This Spotlight is sponsored by GSC Movies.

Set in 1983, the movie tells the story of Tami Oldham (played by Shailene Woodley) and Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin), a couple who sets out on a journey across the Pacific Ocean, only to end up sailing straight into a hurricane.

Tami awakes in the aftermath of the storm to find their boat completely damaged and Richard badly injured. With no hope for rescue, Tami must now find a way to save them both.

Watch the trailer below:

The whole idea for the movie came about when twin brother screenwriters  Aaron and Jordan Kandell came across 'Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss and Survival at Sea', the book Tami wrote about her harrowing 41-day journey from shipwreck to safety.

Written 10 years after the accident, the Kandell brothers immediately fell in love with Tami's powerful and emotional story. They reached out to her the very next day, hoping to get her on-board the project to bring her journey to the big screen. Luckily, she agreed.

Tami ended up contributing so much to the movie - from advising on the script to having private Skype sessions with Shailene Woodley.

Shailene Woodley ('The Fault in Our Stars', the 'Divergent' films), was actually already friends with the Kandell brothers, and they knew that they wanted her to portray Tami right from the start.

"...while we were watching Shai come into her own and really blossom as this incredible actress, we were also developing this story. And so, we wrote it with her in mind. The second we met Tami, she reminded us so much of Shai...so as soon as we finished, she was the first person we sent it to..."

Shailene jumped at the chance to portray Tami, saying that she "was so captivated by it, by who Tami is and the love story."

As for Sam Claflin ('Me Before You', the 'Hunger Games' films), it was the romance between Tami and Richard that first attracted him to the role, but he soon fell in love with the story as a whole.

"I always approach the script from the character I would be playing, but what was amazing about this was that I began to read it through Tami’s eyes too, their connection was that intense. I really fell in love with them and rooted for them. After doing more research on them, the story became even more compelling to me."

"It was so wonderful when Shailene raised her hand and said she would do the film; she was just perfect and so thoughtful and generous of spirit to me.

And then when Sam came aboard, he was just great. It’s uncanny how much he looks like Richard and he had that charismatic way about him that Richard had. I think the universe sent us Sam to play Richard."

"When I came to set and saw Shailene and the wrecked Hazana boat, it was an out of body experience. It just hit my heart. The experience at the time made me understand that I had a wellspring of inner strength and a fortitude, a will to live that I hadn’t recognized before. But seeing everything again also underscored how lucky I really was to survive."

It managed to do this by staying true to Tami's book and delivering her story the way she wanted it to be told. Shailene Woodley shared that the book was the ultimate guide and point of reference throughout the filming.

"I read it a couple times. I really wanted to understand her perspective and psyche and the book helped immensely. It became our outline during production – every day when we were about to do a scene, I would check the book alongside the script. We would reference the scene to the book to make sure we were being as truthful as possible."

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