The drama's main character is FedEx inspector Chuck Noland, played by Tom Hanks. A workaholic to his core, he doesn't notice life passing him by. But one day his plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean — and he becomes the sole survivor. No communication, no shelter, no people. Just him, the ocean, and an empty island.
From this moment, the film seems to freeze. Hanks, left alone with nature, fights not sharks or pirates, but himself. There's no soundtrack here. Only wind, the whisper of waves, the sound of fire.

Source:
imdb.com
For this role, Hanks made incredible sacrifices: he gained 50 pounds, then dramatically lost weight, grew out his hair and beard. According to "Wikipedia", he did this "to make his transformation more dramatic."
Filming stretched over 16 months and was interrupted for a full year so the actor could physically transform. At one point, Hanks was even on the brink of life and death — during filming he contracted a serious infection and was rushed to the hospital.

Source:
imdb.com
The director also distinguished himself. Zemeckis almost completely abandoned music throughout most of the picture. The soundtrack by Alan Silvestri (which won him a Grammy) appears only in the most emotional moments — for example, when Chuck returns home.
"Cast Away" isn't just a survival story. It's a story about how not to lose yourself when everything else is lost. Earlier we at zoomboola.com told you about the film "K-PAX" — one of the most humane films about aliens.