- Director: Sam Raimi
- Screenplay: Damian Shannon, Mark Swift
- Cast: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien
- Cinematography: Bill Pope
- Editing: Bob Murawski
- Score: Danny Elfman
- Genre: Black comedy survival horror thriller
- Runtime: 115 minutes
Two work colleagues, the new boss Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) and his subordinate Linda (Rachel McAdams) get trapped on a tropical island after a plane crash. While Bradley convalesces, there’s an instant clash; he assumes he’s still in charge of Linda but as she reminds him: “We’re not in the office anymore”.
Linda is from the Strategy and Planning department and is a ‘Survivor‘ fanatic. She’s the perfect person to be marooned with…provided you don’t piss her off. A hard worker, she’s been promised a promotion by the old boss, Bradley’s father. This ultimately fails to transpire, as Bradley, inheriting the company upon his dad’s death, throws Linda’s potential step up the corporate ladder out the window. He finds her repulsive and charmless.
Thrown together on the island, the power dynamic reverses. Linda is thriving; living her best life assembling a shelter and foraging for provisions. Bradley is forced into a submissive role, completely contrasting his assumed superiority as ‘the man’. Thinking he can do better, he attempts to build his own camp. It’s way beyond his skill set so he has to crawl back to Linda with his tail betwixt his legs, begging to be taken care of like a contrite child.
Is there a flicker of attraction growing between the pair? She didn’t have to tend to his injured state and they’re both good-looking people. ‘The Blue Lagoon‘ this is not; the film wrong-foots you. Appearances are deceptive.
From the outset, Linda is shown to be socially awkward, klutzy and uncouth. Her goofiness belies a core of steel. An outsider’s perspective would be that she’s a dogsbody, incapable of standing on her own two feet. Don’t assume anything – she’s a survivor of an abusive marriage. The shift in her characterisation as the story progresses doesn’t come from out of nowhere as perhaps you might think. She’s always been driven. Her tireless optimism is her greatest strength. One person’s fundamental behaviour cannot change, even with a monumental alteration to their environment. Much the same with Bradley, just when you believe he’s starting to redeem his demeanour as a brattish nepo baby, there he goes, trying to leave the isle on a makeshift raft sans Linda. What you see on the outside is often a stark contrast to what thoughts are swimming around internally.
Sam Raimi’s direction is gorgeously cinematic. He emphasises this dual nature further visually; the place is a tropical haven during the day, yet there’s the ominous nighttime sequences, having a nightmarish quality. O’Brien and McAdams are magnificent, the latter in particular. She has such an expressive face, she really sells the idea of being dichotomous.
‘Send Help‘ is a fascinating character study. In the middle of the ocean, even with the workplace hierarchy supposedly dismantled, the construct persists. Bradley is emblematic of the chauvinistic boy’s club, taking control of an operation despite the most qualified individual being female. It’s an enjoyable beach-based battle of the sexes, for sure.
My rating: 8 / 10
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