The Boat (2018)

Directed by: Winston Azzopardi | 85 minutes | thriller | Actors: Joe Azzopardic

A film in which a man sits on a boat that may have been bewitched: that is in short the synopsis of ‘The Boat’. With this simple description you can do a lot of interesting things. Director Winston Azzopardi manages to achieve maximum effect with minimal resources. While ‘The Boat’ is not without its flaws, you can’t help but have respect for its creators.

In ‘The Boat’ you meet an unnamed sailor (Joe Azzopardi, the director’s son). During a boat trip with his small sloop, this man encounters an abandoned sailing yacht. The man decides to enter the abandoned ship and see if there might be someone on board. A wrong decision, because soon the door in the cabin closes and our hero is locked up. To make matters worse, the boat also leaked due to a collision. While the man tries to free himself from his predicament, the yacht sails on rudderless.

‘The Boat’ is a special film. For example, there is hardly any use of a soundtrack. There is a lot of space for silence. The main character has hardly any text. Most of the time you look at a man who is pushed to the limit and has to find a solution on his own to get out of his predicament. In the background, the ship is dealing with storms.

The power of ‘The Boat’ is the desolate atmosphere and the hint of mystery that surrounds this film. For example, the final raises a lot of questions. The background of the nameless man is also not highlighted and you also remain in the dark about the history of the ghost boat.

Winston Azzopardi has canned an exciting film that maneuvers between different genres. ‘The Boat’ is part thriller, part drama, part disaster movie and part horror. Something for everyone, but at the same time also for a very select audience.