I think you can only appreciate this film if you know what to expect. It's not a block buster, it's definitely not dialogue heavy (far from it!) and I have to say it's not a movie you should expect to like. I think this is a great piece of acting, direction and story line given the setting - a stranded sailor in a boat doesn't give you many possibilities for a story arc but what it does, it does extremely well.

I don't think you can allegorise this film too much either, it is just a view into one period of someone’s life. I also think if you look at the beginning and the end you may not take from it what you expect. Just my view but I think you could view it as he didn't actually survive, the opening dialogue suggests this and the end could be taken as a dream. Or is it just the contents of his message in a bottle at the start?

Overall though I admire the film and will watch it again. Do I like it? I'm on the fence with that one, it has many laudable qualities but do I like it? I'm not so sure.