I felt the film was ruined a bit by the girl who was too young, uninteresting and smug to be on screen for the 80 mins or so. It also had little drama, maybe her trip was like that but it was almost boring for all the danger she was sometimes in. I'd watch All Is Lost instead ....
shareThe acting ability of the Seagull more than made up for the shortcomings. Hard to get drama out of sailing - it's safer than driving a car.
shareI think she handled drama well but you maybe you were expecting a drams queen to be screaming and flailing her arms when there was trouble. This woman was very calm under extreme circumstances. You just didn't like that she handles crisis like a trooper.
shareNo, it's not that ... I just didn't find her charismatic enough to carry a whole film. I admire what she did and how she handled the drama, but just wouldnt fancy having a coffee with her.
shareIt would probably be a very interesting cup of coffee, so long as you asked her about what she had seen, rather than about her.
shareSure, but I usually find that young people who are very very good at something (playing an instrument, a sport, some subject, sailing, etc) are usually pretty boring or socially maladjusted because they spent so much of their young lives learning to do what they do by sitting alone and doing it ....
shareWell, that is mostly a matter of having something in common with them to discuss, is it not?
But I once knew a guy who had sailed from Australia to Holland with his parents when a teen, and he had a few interesting stories. You have a look around half the world, and you are bound to see something interesting to talk about eventually.
EDIT: Think about her relationship with that Canadian couple on their way to the Galapagos Islands, for example. They must have been three or four times her age, yet she got on with them perfectly well.
To be honest I'm a bit tired of my post here, my complaint was minor, the girl was fine and I'm sure had a load of great stories and is very nice, but I just thought she was a little colourless to hold up an entire documentary, as are, as I said, a lot of great people because they have to spend so much time becoming great.
shareYeah, well I came away with pretty much the opposite reaction to the film. First off, this was not a fictional story where you could pick a person to play the lead role. We see the real Laura Dekker and she was herself. I have daughters, and know many other girls who just a short few years ago were Laura's age. I find Laura to be a totally delightful girl and if she had grown up in our neighborhood would have been friends with my girls.
You mention you'd rather see "All Is Lost" again. Well that is a fictional movie about a man in his twilight years dealing with a badly damaged boat. Everything about it is just the opposite of "Maidentrip." If you'd really rather watch that it says more about you than it does about either film.
TxMike
Make a choice, to take a chance, to make a difference.
For anyone that has a child or ever a dream, I found it inspirational. Anything is possible when you set your mind to it...plus a little parental understanding
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