Or so says Abigail Weld (played by Rebecca Miller) at about the mid-point of Wind. Personally, I hadn't thought about it much either way. But I'm also not sure what director Carroll Ballard's own views on the subject are, or if he was at all successful in getting them on film. He certainly makes the sailboats into quite a brilliant on-screen spectacle, but there's a lack of personal feeling here. A missing piece to the overall picture. There's certainly a huge emphasis on human-to-human drama that Ballard's four other features lack. Coming from the director who, by this point, had made a pair of highly personal films where the two main themes were isolation and loneliness, I somehow found that aspect to be conspicuously lacking from Wind.
The film opens underwater, looking up into the sun and a man floating on the surface. Will Parker (Matthew Modine) winds his way through the cove as Kate Bass (Jennifer Grey) looks on. It feels almost like a scene out of The Black Stallion. He comes to shore, and they talk about what could or may happen in his future. Matthew Modine is a good actor, and he tends to play normal, everyday people. He's likable, sure he is. I doubt that anyone truly hates Modine as an actor. But the character of Will Parker doesn't have a whole lot of deep internal conflict. Sure, he has decisions to make - but nothing resembling the dark corners of the soul in a character like Tyler from Never Cry Wolf. Actually, most of the other performances are quite good, if a bit underdeveloped. Stellan Skarsgård, in particular, is enjoyable to watch.
There's lots to enjoy about Wind - if you're not looking for anything complicated. From a scriptwriting standpoint, a central theme is either missing, or maybe a little confused. Events and conversations seem to repeat themselves in an attempt to overfill in the blanks. But here's the problem - for all intents and purposes, the film doesn't really begin until 48 minutes in. When the scene shifts to six months later in the Nevada desert, it quickly becomes clear that anything which happened previously was merely a set-up for the rest of the film. In fact, the ensuing scenes are of all far higher caliber than those preceding them. A certain parallel comes up between the recapture of the America's Cup and the subplot of Will trying to get back together with Kate. Not exactly the most original bit of scripting ever.
So what really makes Wind worth the watch? The real star of the film - its cinematography. This is truly a great-looking film. John Toll makes a lot of what might otherwise be dull technical work into a stunning visual display. Many scenes stand out beyond his obviously brilliant work in the sailing sequences. The part where Kate tests a sail out in the desert is absolutely breathtaking. Just like Carroll Ballard's other films, the most visually stunning photography is in the quiet moments. But since Wind runs a little short on those, the camera-work doesn't find much time to wander. The music, on the other hand (composed by Basil Poledouris) is really nothing special. He does everything well but nothing new. This is not a movie you go to for its soundtrack. It must be said that the lack of overall cohesion in this film is disappointing. It is a very slight story, not possessing of any real meat or meaning. The actors have neither the quality of dialogue nor the specific motivation to live up to John Toll's cinematography.
I've read interviews where Carroll Ballard talked about his relative unease with the drama between characters in this film, how it didn't flow as well as expected. And I sympathize with that. But at the end of it all - who really cares about the America's Cup anyhow? Not the average film-goer, apparently. And, unfortunately, not me either.
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