We are now clearly in the age of streaming. A film that was made in 2024 was released in theaters in August 2025 with mediocre to poor results, meaning it went almost unnoticed, until the time came for streaming and it became a global phenomenon. A literally forgotten film suddenly gained major recognition and entered the global top ten most watched titles on Netflix.
But is it worth it? When you have the experienced and excellent director Ron Howard directing Ana de Armas at her peak, the new and constantly rising super sexy Sydney Sweeney, and the stunning Vanessa Kirby, known mainly from Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible films, what could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, almost everything.
The film is based on real events. Sometime around 1930, a mysterious woman, played by Kirby, who suffers from arteriosclerosis, moves with her doctor friend, played brilliantly by the always solid Jude Law, to a remote island somewhere in the Galapagos in search of peace and quiet. Turns out they find anything but peace, since the media of the time expose their adventure, and as a result a couple arrives on the same island with their child. The wife is played by the wonderful Sydney Sweeney alongside the also excellent and well known German actor Daniel Brühl, from Inglourious Basterds by Tarantino.
Everything flows relatively calmly until the charming but troublemaking Ana arrives on the same island with her lovers, and that is when the absurdities begin.
From a directing standpoint, the film is flawless. It is also low budget, but the cinematography with the stunning landscapes really wins you over. The actors are all genuinely good. We are talking about a very high level across the board, which I expected, but not from Sweeney. She delivers at least an impressive performance. While she had previously presented herself as a different type of actress, here she shows she has great range, a proper tool in the right hands.
However, the show is easily stolen by Ana de Armas, who plays insanely well the delusional, promiscuous, pseudo aristocratic femme fatale. Her beauty is a ticket to big things. And let me say this. She may have come from Cuba to America, but her work overall is exemplary. Nothing in Hollywood is accidental, and Ana certainly deserves a special place in the mecca of world cinema.
So what went wrong and why did it not really take off from the start? I believe it comes down to the script. After a certain point it becomes completely predictable. No twists, no surprises. In the end, the semi good simply triumphs. The end.
First of all, the entire film is shot on a deserted island. No matter how beautiful it is, you get bored after a while. The plot is minimal for half of the movie, and you are mainly kept engaged by the excellent performances. But most importantly, all the characters are unpleasant, basically unlikeable people. It is hard to connect with them and hard to accept them. What they do is generally unacceptable, and the moral lesson is clearly that humans are the most ungrateful species on this planet. Even within a small group, on a remote little island, they will still find ways to tear each other apart like wild beasts. If you look at it that way, it might even be a masterpiece.
Watch it relaxed, without high expectations. It is mainly worth seeing for the protagonists, who feel almost like a theatrical performance. That is also how it became an online success.
Rating 7 out of 10 from me. It passes the time.
Ana is worth all the money. If they wanted to sell more tickets, maybe they should have shown more nudity from the girls. Instead, we get Jude Law casually posing completely naked, with nothing really happening. Even here, Ana steals the show just with the way she looks at him. lol
