I am not a sci-fi fan (confession time) and I’ve never even seen the Star Wars saga. But I am a big Sam Rockwell fan. This one film has changed my opinion on the genre. Rockwell plays the man on the moon who is responsible for sending Helium 3 (the energy source that powers over 70% of the world’s population) back to Earth. Initially the film appears to be going down the path that 2001 Space Odyssey took but then the unexpected starts to occur.
He has no “live” connection to Earth, the only way he has to communicate is through delayed messages that he receives from his bosses and his wife, Tess. He isn’t insane or crazy and he has not lost his mind as he has GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) to take care of him and to talk to. GERTY is a super human computer whose sole mission is to take care of Sam Bell. Even though Spacey’s physical presence is not actually present on screen, you feel as if it is.
Out on day on one of his routine drives, across the moon (as you do) Sam is distracted by what he is convinced is another person and crashes. He awakes in the infirmary of the ship with GERTY attending to him; however as is often the case in science fiction films everything is not what is appears to be...
A terrific and intricate performance is what Rockwell gives throughout this film; he is the only person on screen for the entire film and features in practically every scene. His past work has left a lasting impression; he never goes for the obvious roles and is fast becoming an indie film icon. Very few actors take on the challenge of being in a film solo, some are successful – Tom Hanks in Castaway and some, not so much – Nic Cage in Adaptation. Director, Duncan Jones hired the right man, made a film for $5m million and shot it over 33 “intense and incredibly exhausting” days. Not only that but he also personally posted on popular film site – IMDB a message of thanks to fans of the films and an apology to the people who didn’t like it all that much. What a guy!
Just wanted to send out a huge thank you to all of you who seem to be getting something out of this little, British, independent film. We made it for $5 million, over 33 intense days.
As soon as the credits rolled and I left the cinema confused and full of questions, I wanted to tell the world how beautiful the film was that I had just watched and how impressive and intimate it felt.
If you want to see a great film, sci-fi fan or not, give this a shot.
Amy V Gathercole
No comments:
Post a Comment