Director Sam Raimi’s most recent horror film, “Send Help,” takes the familiar deserted-island survival trope and flips it on its head. Starring Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle and Dylan O’Brien as Bradley Preston, the film debuted in theaters on Jan. 30.
Linda is a talented corporate strategist, but meek and isolated from her colleagues. Previously promised a promotion by her former boss, Linda’s talent gets overlooked by her new entitled boss, Bradley. However, everything takes a turn for Linda when the plane she, Bradley and other executives are on for a work meeting crashes in the ocean. When only Linda and Bradley survive and are washed up onto a deserted island, Linda has the chance to become the master of her fate.
What follows is a dark, comedic psychological battle between the two survivors. “Send Help” is not just another island survival plot or “Cast Away” copycat. Instead, it is a fascinating deconstruction of gender roles and power dynamics as Linda transforms from her submissive, unconfident self into a force to be reckoned with.
Behind her lowly desk job, Linda is secretly obsessed with learning about survival skills; she knows every way to make a fire and what berries to avoid eating. Though her colleagues make fun of her unusual hobby, it quickly becomes Linda’s greatest weapon when she finds herself stranded with Bradley. Her niche interest is what allows her to flip the script that was forced onto her in the workplace and allows her to become the head boss on the island. Bradley is left helpless and now must rely on Linda to survive.
The inversion of Bradley and Linda’s relationship is part of the film’s exploration of power dynamics. Bradley isn’t just a typical cruel boss — he’s a man who is used to holding power over those around him and is completely destabilized when he no longer has this authority — especially over a woman. The deserted island setting allows for the complete erasure of the social hierarchy between men and women that exists in common society. Bradley can’t stand being inferior, or even an equal to Linda. What unfolds between moments of friendship and feuding is a psychological duel where having the upper hand means life or death.
The greatest strength of “Send Help” is how it turns the survival trope upside down. Linda thrives in such an environment, and the audience gets to experience an incredible character-driven narrative. Rachel McAdams’ performance is legendary as she perfectly captures every facet of Linda’s character. She ranges from depicting Linda’s awkwardness in the office to the primal violence and rage that emerges when she no longer lives by the confines of humanity. For example, Linda must fight a wild boar to death and watch as its blood covers her, which McAdams skillfully portrays through the fear and guilt that racks Linda when she makes the morally questionable choices. The complicated protagonist has audiences both rooting for her and finding themselves in shock at her actions.
Linda’s strength is perfectly captured as she delivers the memorable line, “Do not mistake my kindness for weakness,” in response to Bradley’s attempts to overcome her. This is one of the first times we see the dark side of her.
What makes Linda’s journey so addicting to watch is her never-ending belief in herself. While she might seem timid, she does not possess self-doubt. She knows she is worth more than the disrespect she receives and reminds herself of this regularly. The strength she exhibits on the island was in her all along, but simply needed a push to come out. Linda steps into her power with no hesitation and doesn’t allow either the harsh conditions of the island or her spiteful boss to stop her, allowing for the deeply satisfying subversion of gender roles.
Her rise to power and ability to keep it while her co-inhabitant schemes behind her back are dependent on her ability to show one side of herself to Bradley while keeping the other, darker part hidden. This quality exists in both characters and causes a divide between them, which keeps the plot unpredictable, as you never know which persona is at the helm at any given moment.
Every second of “Send Help” is relentlessly entertaining and wildly unpredictable, with twists and turns that keep the audience guessing who will survive between the two equally calculated characters. It has everything a viewer could ask for: violence, comedy, horror and a determined heroine with nothing left to lose.
Ayiana Grana is an Arts and Entertainment Intern for the winter 2026 quarter. She can be reached at angrana@uci.edu.
Edited by Corinna Chin and Julia Kremenetsky
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