High Barbaree

Set against the Pacific theater of World War II, the film follows a U.S. Navy flying boat crew as they struggle to survive at sea and confront memories from home. The wartime context shapes their duties, loyalties, and the stakes of every decision. Interwoven flashbacks reveal Alec's early medical dreams and a romance that anchors him through peril. The rescue finally reconciles past and present.

The action unfolds primarily in Hawaii during World War II, with a surviving crew adrift after a shoot-down. Flashbacks also touch on Alec's boyhood in an Iowa town, where a dream of medicine began. The narrative blends a Pacific war setting with a remembered Midwest past as the characters seek High Barbaree, the mythical island.

🕰️ Memory

Memory drives the narrative, with Alec recounting his past to Lt. Joe Moore while the two men drift. The film uses flashbacks to show how love, ambition, and a Midwest childhood mold a wartime hero. Those recollections serve as a lifeline when supplies dwindle and hope wavers.

💔 Love & Loss

Romance under pressure anchors the story as Alec is torn between two women and two paths. The war heightens the stakes of career and devotion, testing loyalty and timing. The emotional arc builds toward reconciliation as the couple edges toward reunion.

⛵ Survival & Ingenuity

Alec and Moore improvise a sailboat by lashings of parachutes to stay afloat, turning desperation into a makeshift voyage. With dwindling water and mounting fatigue, resourcefulness becomes the key to endurance. The sea-bound sequence mirrors the characters' determination to stay connected to hope.

🎖️ Duty & Heroism

War demands courage, discipline, and sacrifice. Alec balances medical aspirations with pilot duties as he navigates peril and mission obligations. The narrative frames heroism as a blend of skill, loyalty, and the will to reunite with loved ones.