Cast Away

 Cast Away is a year 2000 film drama which starred Tom Hanks and Helen Hunt.   It grossed $429 million worldwide (on a budget of $90 million), making it the third highest grossing film that year.

In Cast Away, Chuck (Hanks) is a trouble-shooting executive for Fedex who travels the world resolving productivity issues for the company.  He and his girlfriend Kelly (Hunt) are in love, but can't find the time to marry because of his busy work schedule (work is his priority).

On his way from Memphis (Fedex headquarters) to Malaysia to fix a work related problem, Chuck's Fedex airplane gets caught in a storm and crashes into the Pacific Ocean.  The only survivor, he washes up on an uninhabited island along with several Fedex packages from the plane.

Chuck spends four years alone on the island where there is enough food and water.  But, he must also use his ingenuity to provide heat and shelter.  Chuck is sustained by his love for Kelly, a Wilson volleyball (from a Fedex package) which becomes his "friend" with whom he develops a relationship and an unopened package with angel wings printed on its side (symbol of hope).  

Chuck calls his friend Wilson, which coincidentally was the name of a partner at a store we used to frequent at the Mercado dos Pinheiros.

Finally, Chuck builds a raft and leaves the island hoping to be rescued (and returned to human society) while floating in the vast Pacific Ocean.  Luckily, he is.

Unluckily, Chuck is informed when he arrives back in the States that Kelly, believing he was dead, has married and is the mother of a young daughter.  His dream of being re-united with the love of his life is dashed.  Kelly, while still in love with Chuck, won't abandon her husband and child.  

As a result, Chuck must move on with his life.  Or does he?  Can't he stick around and have Kelly as a friend?

The opening and closing scenes of Cast Away are connected.  In the opening, a Fedex truck picks up a package at a ranch in a remote area of Texas.  At the gate of the ranch you see angel wings with the inscription Dick & Bettina.  

The package is delivered to a home in Moscow and received by an American with a cowboy hat, presumably Dick.  A woman appears and she asks about the package.  He says, "It's from my wife."  And then they kiss.  

In the closing scene, Chuck delivers the only unopened Fedex package from his time on the remote island (representing closure to him) to the same ranch as in the beginning with the angel wings.  Only this time, the name Dick is missing.  No one is home, so he leaves the package by the front door.  

Chuck then drives to an intersection of two roads and is unsure how to proceed.  A friendly, attractive woman passes by in a small truck and steps out to offer direction information.  

Woman:  You look lost.

Chuck:  I do?

Woman:  Where ya headed?

Chuck:  Well, I was just about to figure that out.

Woman:  Well, that's 82 south.  That'll hook you up with I42.  If you turn right, that'll take you to Amarillo, Flagstaff...California.  If you head in that direction (where she is headed), you'll find a whole lot of nothin all the way to Canada.  

Chuck:  I got it.

Woman:  All right.  Good luck, cowboy.

Chuck:  Thank you.

When the woman drives away, Chuck notices on the back of her vehicle the angel wings symbol, the same as from the ranch where he had just delivered the package (which also had angel wings).  When contemplating which direction he should head, he turns towards where the woman (presumably Bettina) was driving (presumably back to her ranch) and smiles.  Will Chuck go there, too?