MAIDEN TRIP

Can you imagine going around the world alone? many of you will say yes, but can you imagine going around the world alone, when you’re only fourteen years old? Maiden trip is a documentary of a fourteen year old girl name Laura Dekker who was brave enough to set sail to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans to explore the world for her own.

In the documentary Laura tells her story from the very beginning, starting from how she was born and raised on the sea for first two years of life and how ever since then all she has wanted was to go back to the captivating life on   the sea. She goes on by telling her viewers how she and her father had to go through a ten month long period of legal procedures in order for her to gain permission to travel alone at her age without transferring custody from her father. During this period the internet gave her a heard time by referring to her with words such as ” arrogant” or “spoilt” . But she didn’t let any of this bring her down because she didn’t want the typical life of a dutch girl which she described as, “Get money, get a house, get a husband, get a baby, then die”. She wanted much more from life than that and she strived alongside her dad till the court allowed her to set voyage. Also to keep the record legitimate she wasn’t  allowed to take any crew members along with her, so the documentary comprises of videos Laura shot while on the sea reporting about the wind, the weather and how she was doing and her thoughts and feeling while living the dream.Of course it wasn’t all smooth sailing and there were times when the weather conditions were very severe and the tides were not in her favour and she had to  stop shooting and turn off her video camera in order to ensure her survival.

A  teenage girl’s life narrative is so beautifully captured in this documentary that it resonated with millions across the globe and won her documentary the Audience Award at Camden international film festival and SXSW film festival in 2013. Besides the alluring story of Laura Dekker, the way the documentary was captured and represented is also worth mentioning . If you look at the trailer for the documentary which starts with Laura’s deep voice in the background to convey her message shows the use of first person narrative to make a stronger impact on the viewers. Also the type of thriller music used in the trailer intrigues the viewer and keep them plugged to watch it till the end. Moreover there were video clips from Laura’s journey on the sea which again helped give a personal and realistic  element to the documentary to those who were doubtful of the authenticity of her trip and how a little girl could manage herself and her boat alone. I personally recommend you all to watch it because when i watched it made me rethink about all the crazy adventurous things i really wanted to do in life but was too afraid to do just because i thought they were too reckless in the eyes of our society and watching young Laura sailing across dangerous waters, redefined the possible and impossible and instilled a new kind of hope in me. This documentary works to break all stereotypes of gender and age and has set a new path for people with dreams and goals just as wild as Laura Dekker’s.

WORKS CITED

Website Title: Thompson on Hollywood

Article Title: Review: In Documentary ‘Maidentrip,’ Laura Dekker Looks for Paradise in a Sea that Never Ends

Date Accessed: November 09, 2015

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/maidentrip-review-laura-dekker-jillian-schlesinger

http://www.maidentrip.com

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One thought on “MAIDEN TRIP

  1. nana abena adu-botchway says:

    The story is indeed touching and as you said certainly makes me want to think twice before doing anything I consider adventurous. I liked the analysis under the summary and especially the interpretation of the use of the ‘first person narrative which indeed has a greater impact. Also this first person narration helps Laura Dekker build a strong bond with her readers which in the end enhances of their understanding of her story. Overall, nice blog!

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