She most certainly does exercise an influence over people, however, and people start reacting differently. Vianne offers Armande's grandson a slice of chocolate cake, but he refuses and says he isn't supposed to have the cake. The young priest, however, who loves Elvis music, obviously relates to the natural, joyous spiritual perspective of Vianne, and, like so many others in the town, is just waiting to burst free of the village's tradition of rigidity and intolerance. He suggests to the mayor that Jesus would have welcomed Vianne, and he recalls the humanity, kindness, and tolerance of Jesus. It's a grand vehicle for Tom Hanks to do his Robinson Crusoe turn.
Hanks does a fine job of showing the resourcefulness of the human spirit.
But there's an important message for modern society beneath the surface of Cast Away, and it's important to note that the film is not titled Castaway but Cast Away. The film, directed by Robert Zemeckis, opens with the almost manic Chuck instructing FedEx employees in Moscow about the importance of time to meet carrier deadlines. Sure, the man has to work like most of us, but it's obvious that work and time dedicated to work have become the driving motivations in Chuck's life. After being alone on the island for some time, Chuck ruefully recalls his words about time. He's aware of a new dimension to time and of time's lost opportunities.