(SPOILER ALERT - this film is 13 years old, if you haven't seen it yet you should before you read this. I may give away important plot elements or endings for this film).
I guess I would label Castaway as an 'adventure' or 'survival' film. Maybe even drama but I don't think categories are that important.
So, it was released in 2000 and stars Tom Hanks. Helen Hunt has a minor role but the other major player is Wilson, who is actually an inanimate object but plays a crucial role. I'll get to him later.
(image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cast_Away)
As you can probably guess from the title, Tom Hanks get stranded on an island. It may be cliched but I think it is a very dense and interesting theme for a film and allows the director a lot of room for exploration in whichever area he or she wants.
Hanks is a fedex worker in the film. Apparently the company did not pay for the product placement but the exposure was priceless for them. As Hanks is traveling around the world for his job as a systems analyst the plane crashes in the ocean and he is eventually washed up on a small island somewhere in the pacific, as the only survivor.
Early in the film we see Chuck (Hanks) struggle with realising he is alone and cannot escape the island easily.
Several fedex packages from the plane eventually wash up some of which are useful tools in his quest for survival and this includes Wilson. As a volleyball, he seems innocuous at first but quickly becomes the 2nd main 'actor' in the film. As you can imagine, in a film centred around one person it could be hard to construct dialogue and keep things interesting.
However, after cutting his hand and throwing Wilson away in frustration, Chuck leaves a bloody hand print on the volleyball and then draws on face. Hanks spends years on the island and eventually starts talking to Wilson. This allows us to experience Chuck's journey much better as he confides in Chuck and discusses all his thoughts and feelings. Without Wilson this film would probably fail as it is a lot more interesting than watching Hanks talk to himself for a large part of 2 hours.
We watch as Chuck becomes more and more adapted and successful with life on the island and eventually construct a raft and attempt to leave. He times his departure perfectly with the weather conditions and manages to get away from the strong tide. During his time out on the ocean Chuck loses Wilson when he falls off the raft, and Chuck is overwhelmed with loneliness.
If you wanted to read too much into it, I guess Wilson essentially is Chuck, and this scene not only shows Chuck losing his only source of company and attempt to retain some sense of sanity, but symbolises Chuck losing a part of himself.
We then see Chuck rescued by an ocean liner and his difficulty with returning to civilisation.
His wife has moved on and a funeral had taken place. There is also one fedex package which Chuck never opened. He delivers it to the address but the house is empty so he leaves a note saying 'this package saved my life', and after leaving receives directions from a woman who appears to be the owner of the package. In the final scene we see Chuck standing at the crossroads looking at the different options and at the woman driving off. I didn't like that part of the film as much. I think Wilson saved Chuck's life but anyway...
-James
facts and info courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cast_Away
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