The Raft | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

90% Tomatometer 41 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings

In 1973, 11 people drift across the Atlantic as part of a scientific experiment.

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The Raft

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Critics Consensus

The Raft blends archival footage with retrospective interviews to contextualize an incredible real-life experiment whose lessons remain acutely relevant.

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Critics Reviews

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The Raft | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Noëlle D. Lilley Chicago Reader The Raft remains a fascinating look into human relationships that's even more relevant in the wave of sensationalized television. Mar 24, 2020 Full Review The Raft | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Charles Bramesco Hyperallergic By constructing an alternative to this narrative and giving a voice to the wounded yet resilient people left in its wake, Lindeen brings empathy and perhaps something like justice to what would otherwise be nothing more than a sex raft. Feb 25, 2020 Full Review The Raft | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Amy Nicholson FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles) This documentary is fascinating... It's really worth a watch. Oct 1, 2019 Full Review The Raft | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Bianca Garner Filmotomy The Raft is a powerful documentary…a fascinating insight into one man's determination to get results and assert his authority. Oct 11, 2024 Full Review The Raft | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Sarah Boslaugh TheArtsStl Genovés ... thought he would be studying violence in other people, yet found that what he really needed to do was look in the mirror. Rated: 6/10 May 19, 2020 Full Review The Raft | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Barbara Majsa barbaramajsa.com [T]he documentary is beautifully choreographed and genuinely hypnotizing audiovisually, and it might remind some of the viewers of The Visit (2015) by Danish filmmaker Michael Madsen. Feb 22, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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dave d Hard to believe I knew nothing about this going in. 'The Raft' features Santiago Genovés, a Spanish-born Mexican anthropologist, known for designing the 1973 "Peace Project" experiment, in which he and ten other people (four men and six women) aimed to sail on the Acali raft from the Canary Islands to Mexico. All six women have survived, but only one man and they joined to recall their story on a replica model raft. It's thoroughly enjoyable with a mighty score, but it doesn't really judge if the voyage was a success or what would have made it one. We get a lot of muck thrown against the wall and admittedly some of it is good muck, but it's not world class! Final Score: 6.7/10 Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Definitely worth watching. It was a fascinating and interestng documentary that has actual footage, pictures and interviews with the surviving participants of the experiment from the 1970s. It brought many emotions as I watched. I laughed and cried. Highly recommend! Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member A pesar de que le falta mucho en el contexto para lograr entender mejor la intención de Santiago Genovés en su famoso e infame experimento, resulta muy interesante el análisis que ofrecen las personas que aun quedan vivas de este experimento de 101 días en alta mar de 1973. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member A reasonably interesting documentary. It is very difficult to do justice to a voyage of 100 or so days involving 13 people in a movie that runs under 100 minutes. It would have been better if the movie was made 20 years ago, or 30, when more of those who were involved could still appear and reflect on their experience. It would also be better if there was more footage available from the voyage. Probably too much of the movie is devoted to head-shots of old people reminiscing about the voyage.But the biggest surprise for me was that at the end of the movie there is no explanation of what happened to the researcher, Santiago Genoves. Did he write book(s) about the voyage? Did his career stall? Did he continue his research? I would have also liked to have known more about how the voyage affected the volunteers who participated. Were there lasting friendships, perhaps marriages, career changes, divorces, etc.? My biggest disappointment was that Gilligan's Island was never mentioned. Not even once. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Marcus Lindeen Director Daniel Giménez Cacho Narrator Marcus Lindeen Writer Christopher Clements Executive Producer Julie Goldman Executive Producer Jesper Kurlandsky Executive Producer
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Synopsis In 1973, 11 people drift across the Atlantic as part of a scientific experiment.

Director
Marcus Lindeen

Producer
Erik Gandini

Screenwriter
Marcus Lindeen

Distributor
Metrograph Pictures

Production Co
Motto Pictures, Fasad, Sutor Kolonko, Bullitt Film

Genre
Documentary

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 7, 2019, Limited

Release Date (Streaming)
May 19, 2020

Runtime
1h 37m
Most Popular at Home Now
The Raft | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

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