Sculptor Sarah rescues some "driftwood" – an attractive man suffering from amnesia and a broken leg – from the waves which are trying to claim him back. "Attractive" is the operative word here, and the circumstances of this encounter are romantic enough to make the somewhat mentally fragile young woman lie to herself and her chosen one: they were on a lonely island and the next supply boat is not due until after the winter, which is just starting. Sarah does seem rather eccentric, but the man with no name allows himself to be drawn in to her relentless attempts to start a relationship. Of course she is unable to break the man's hunger for information and civilisation, and has to take more and more radical steps to keep "her man", something her mother (now only imaginary) once failed to do...

Obsession, overpowering love, deception and self-deception – the stuff which could have made Driftwood a profound, disturbing or intelligent drama. But director and screenplay writer Ronan O'Leary decided instead for an uninventive plot in a conventional drama-thriller with absolutely no tension. The poster, the trailer, or even just the first few minutes are enough for the audience to be able to write the rest of the film for themselves. As satisfying as it is to have one's predictions confirmed, one develops a certain enmity towards the film. O'Leary spins out his already-known story for 100 minutes, right up to the unavoidable bloody end. To market the state of mind of the disturbed Sarah as an exploration of the female psyche borders on sexism.

Deutsche Version