A woman and the sea

Rike, a successful emergency physician, embarks on a solo sailing journey where she will face perhaps the greatest moral dilemma of her life… As we leave behind International Women’s Day, this issue features the 2018 film Styx, which introduces us to solo sailor Rike. The film carries a profound meaning not only through the power of the sea but also through the determination of women, shedding light on the achievements of notable figures in the world of solo sailing.

Looking back, we encounter many inspiring female sailors. The first female solo ocean sailor, Maud Fontenoy, was not only a hero who carried her courage across the depths of the sea by crossing the Atlantic Ocean alone but also became a symbol of freedom and determination. Ellen MacArthur, during her 71-day solo circumnavigation of the globe, embarked not only on a physical journey but also an environmental one, using her great achievement as a powerful call for nature conservation. Isabelle Autissier, by setting sail in the harsh waters of the Vendée Globe, transformed solo sailing into an art form, proving the strength, courage, and resilience of women with every wave. These women, rather than getting lost in the boundlessness of the seas, charted their own course, exploring not only the oceans but also the depths of the human spirit.

Returning to the film, our protagonist Rike is introduced as an independent, disciplined, and self-confident woman. As an emergency physician, Rike is calm and solution-oriented. Her passion for nature and the sea reflects her fearless and determined character. Her mastery of the yacht’s systems and her courage in setting off alone from Gibraltar into the Atlantic Ocean serve as a great source of inspiration. Her ability to remain composed and navigate through a storm alone captivates the audience. However, the crisis she faces upon encountering a migrant boat traps her between her conscience, her desire to help, and her own limitations. Initially portrayed as a strong and controlled character, she gradually becomes vulnerable in the face of helplessness, guilt, and the indifference of the system. Throughout the film, Rike embodies the confrontation between human ethical responsibilities and the feeling of powerlessness. At first, she believes she can control everything in a systematic manner. However, when faced with an uncontrollable disaster at sea, she is forced to confront the chaotic nature of the real world. This serves as a testament to how people can become powerless when their carefully planned order is disrupted.

The film explores multiple themes, one of the most striking being the migrant crisis. It harshly criticizes the Western world’s indifferent approach to this crisis. While Rike, as an individual, tries to help, she encounters the apathy of the system. The coast guard responds to the tragedy with cold detachment and delay, illustrating how bureaucratic structures fail in times of crisis. Although Rike wants to save the migrants, the authorities instruct her not to intervene. This exposes the contradiction between individual ethical responsibility and institutional rules. The film highlights the Western tendency to observe crises from a distance and remain passive, exposing the chasm between personal conscience and societal apathy. In the end, it is Rike’s decision to take the risk of shutting down her yacht’s signals that ultimately forces help to arrive. This moment underscores the gravity of social stratification and division while reflecting the brutal confrontation between the belief that “every human life is valuable” and the harsh reality.

At this point, we witness Rike being dragged into a profound moral battle. Her greatest inner conflict is her desire to help the migrants while being torn between that responsibility and her own safety. Initially, she trusts that the system will function and calls the coast guard, but the delayed response forces her to act on her own. As she tries to approach the migrant boat, she hesitates, fearing that the panicked migrants might overwhelm her yacht. This showcases her struggle between ethical responsibility and the instinct for self-preservation. However, when a boy named Kingsley swims from the migrant boat to reach her, Rike is pulled into the tragedy, marking a turning point from which she cannot turn back. Though she manages to save Kingsley, she remains engulfed in helplessness and guilt in the face of the system’s apathy. A metaphorical confirmation of her transformation occurs when Kingsley pushes her into the sea. Throughout the film, Rike is depicted as a figure striving to maintain control. However, in the end, as Kingsley throws her overboard, she ultimately loses all control. For Kingsley, this action is a survival instinct—he is reacting purely on impulse, driven by the necessity of staying alive. This scene serves as a powerful psychological moment, illustrating how trauma transforms individuals and how survival can sometimes be reduced to the most primal instincts.

Throughout the film, Rike’s psychological transformation is vividly portrayed. In the final scene, she sits silently aboard the coast guard ship, her face frozen in an expression of shock, exhaustion, and deep guilt. The structured, controlled, and solution-oriented individual we saw at the beginning of the film is now crushed under the weight of the events. The illusion of control has completely collapsed, leaving her feeling utterly drained in the face of both the system’s failures and her own individual efforts proving insufficient. By depicting the devastation within Rike’s inner world, the film compels us, the audience, to confront the same moral questioning: What could we have done differently? And as humanity, have we already arrived too late?