Gravity

I did myself a great disservice when I sat down in my living room to watch this movie.  Namely, I sat down in my living room and watched this film, and did not see it in a movie theater.  With that in mind, this is still a startling piece of work.  What makes it stand out to me is its simplicity.  This is a work of cinematic minimalism (if that is a category that actually exists).  Alfonso Cuaron brings us a movie with a singular title and a singular purpose.  Few times have I watched a movie that is so well summed up by its title.  The only other title I can think of for this movie would be "survival".  It is a simple story, told remarkably well.

Sandra Bullock stars as Ryan Stone, a scientist in space for the first time.  She is accompanied by two other astronauts.  One of them is Matt Kowalski, played by George Clooney.  Kowalski is a seasoned astronaut, and his experience is vital to Ryan Stone.  Within minutes of the film's beginning, the principal characters are told of a shower of debris that is headed straight for their space shuttle.  The debris completely destroys their spacecraft, and Kowalski and Stone are forced into survival mode.  This is the set up for the movie, and the rest of the movie really is about what happens next.

The movie is very short.  In this case, that actually helps it to be a cohesive work of art.  This is a simple movie, brilliantly realized.  In some ways it reminds me of a student film with a big budget.  We only see two living faces in this whole movie, and we hear only a couple more voices.  Part of the theme of this movie is survival in the face of being alone as well as being in danger, and the presence of so few actors assists us in seeing that theme.  Any discussion of this movie would also be incomplete without a thorough regard for its visual imagination.  Though I know that I am seeing unreal images, the images in this movie made me believe I was watching something quite real.  At the same time, paradoxically, the movie's images were just fanciful enough that I still was able to see great visual imagination rather than simple documentary style film making.

This movie received great accolades upon its release, and it actually went on to win more Oscars (7) than any other movie in 2014.  I have not yet seen "12 Years A Slave", so I will have to withhold judgement as to which of these movies "deserve" the award more.  It certainly becomes an interesting thing to debate when two movies with such different content are up for awards.  This movie certainly has a universal theme.  While it is set in space, the universal will of humans to survive (and the despair that can come when hope for survival seems lost) is a theme in many great works of art.  It also is worth noting that so many great works of suspense never fully receive their due (Alfred Hitchcock, after all, never won a best director Oscar).  This movie is a cinematic wonder, but I failed to be as wrapped up in it as I am with a Hitchcock film or other works of suspense.  As I mentioned above, I do think I lost something significant by seeing this at home (though I do have a sporty flat screen TV).  As my children continue to mature, I am sure I will begin to be able to be less selective of which movies I can get out to see.  However, there is a fine line between something which is artistically minimal and something which is predictable.  I knew before it was mentioned in the movie that the mission in question was probably Kowalski's last, because that seemed to fit with the genre I was watching.  Fortunately, the movie more than makes up for some of the predictability by many surprises, and by a basic humanity.  It gives every viewer a way to identify with its principle character.  I have not seen such effective uses of silence in a movie in quite some time (possibly since "2001: A Space Odyssey).  The silence serves a dual purpose.  It's awkwardness creates more tension, but it also reminds us of where the movie is set.  Space is silent, and the use of the lack of noise helps us feel Stone's danger all the more.  It may be that the Oscars got it right this year by giving the technical award to Cuaron and the grand prize to Steve McQueen (the director and producer of "12 Years A Slave).  When I see McQueen's work, it will let you all know what I think.