Ken Rudolph’s review published on Letterboxd:
Every year France hosts the Vendée Globe, a yacht race where solo sailors circumnavigate the globe strictly under sail and alone. Veteran French actor François Cluzet is remarkable undergoing this physically demanding race, substituting for the injured yacht owner (Guillaume Canet). What complicates the story and makes it into a dramatic film is the 16-year old Moroccan stowaway who appears after a repair stop in the Canary Islands, and who eventually bonds emotionally with the grizzled sailor. Thus, this no longer resembles a solo ocean trek like in Robert Redford's All is Lost. Still, there's plenty of tension, choppy seas, and many gorgeous oceanic sunsets to appreciate. Modern computer and satellite technology meant that the sailor was in video contact with his family and the followers of the race at all times. The film avoided most cliches of the adventure genre...even the outcome of the race was unexpected, but strangely satisfying.