If you've ever found yourself alone, you understand...

Rating: Null/10 (9 October 2002)

If you found no redeeming value or lesson to take with you after re-viewing this film, the boat passed you by. I didn't go see this movie at the theatre because the thought of watching an entire movie based on a lone man's experiences was not appealing. However, as is the case with many of Tom Hank's latest films, the message was more valuable than the price of a theatre ticket.
Many times in our lives we find ourselves alone on a metaphoric "island", isolated from everyone else as a result of some tragedy or unwelcomed consequence that has drastically affected our lives. And like Hanks' character, we find ourselves without the familiar surroundings or things we have taken for granted. So we struggle to learn again many processes and procedures that before were simple and available to us.
When the struggle becomes to much of a burden, we begin to wonder if it is worth the life that was presented to us at birth. If that hurdle is overcome, then you realize that faith in the next day is all you have for hope. And like Hanks' character was presented with material to form a sail to escape his predicament, we also carry the hope of surviving our experiences as a result of life's waves.
The soliloquy that he delivers toward the end of the movie is priceless. He sums up his fears, his challenges, his triumphs and his failures with the statement, "I have to keep breathing. For tomorrow, the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring."
The final scene with Hanks standing in the middle of a rural intersection is the icing on the cake. For when we survive our crises, we find ourselves at a crossroads with many roads to choose.