Gravity (2013)

Life is not possible in space

By using this fact as an introduction to his latest film, director Alfonso Cuaron prepares us for a breathtaking and eye-popping journey about life, change and coping. There has been much anticipation for Gravity, focusing primarily on the film's visuals and cinematography. While I do not want to belittle these aspects and will get to them later on, I can tell you now that the film is much more than just eye-candy. And even with some very obvious weaknesses and shortcomings, Gravity is still a film worthy of the hype and attention.

In a jist and at first, Gravity seems nothing more than a really pretty movie about a disaster in space; while on a mission to repair the Hubble Telescope, the space team led by Matt Kowalski (George Clooney), which includes Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) suddenly find themselves in huge trouble when debris from nearby satellite destruction come crashing towards them killing everyone else and destroying their spaceship. Now they must work together to get safely back to Earth.

As I mentioned earlier, buzz about the movie centers mostly on the visual side of the film, and I can tell you right now, this film was absolutely gorgeous. Opening with an almost 20 minute long take showcasing the beauty of the Earth from space, and introducing us to the characters, Gravity does not let-up in giving us a truly visual masterpiece. The sound and music for the film was very instrumental in setting the mood and tension of the entire film. i especially loved the lack of sound for any of the destruction that was happening in space. They stayed true to the fact that there is no sound in space; no explosions or crashes, Cuaron leaves us to watch the destruction and only have the helpless voices of the actors echoing in our ears.

The use of CG is at par or even better than Life of Pi, and cinematography, especially shot selection and framing is comparable to Skyfall or maybe even The Shining (well, maybe not that much but you get my point). In fact, for  me, some of the shots and scenes open up the deeper meaning of the film which I will get to later on. First I need to talk about some aspects of the film that many are praising, but for me, somewhat fall short.

Unfortunately, I cannot say that the acting was at its best. Given the caliber of the talent, I expected so much more. Clooney and Bullock are two of Hollywood's finest actors, and yet I found their performance to be very bland and sometimes dull. Maybe Clooney just didn't have that much screen time, but Bullock just wasn't her usual self in this one. 

Another aspect that seemed to trouble me was the script. Maybe this contributed to the lackluster acting, but some of the lines just didn't resonate with me. It contributed to a lack of chemistry between Clooney and Bullock, and the comic relief in some of Clooney's lines just seemed unnatural and forced. Given these flaws though, I still recommend that everyone see this film not just to see the amazing visuals, but to appreciate the genius of Cuaron not just in how he showed it, but how he used said visuals as metaphors and symbols to show a deeper meaning. The cinematography used in the film allows us to go through a journey of re-birth and discovery with the main character.

SPOILER ALERT. Do not proceed if you have not watched the film

As I mentioned earlier, Cuaron opens the film by stating that life in space is not possible. From how I interpreted it, this is essential to how the film progresses. Dr. Stone starts of as one who simply no longer enjoys life. Because of a personal tragedy, she is simply just "driving" through life. She has placed herself in a vacuum where she cannot breath and is no longer living; just like how she is in her space suit floating in space. While she is in space, she is alive, but she is not living. Her transformation and transition away from this begins in my favorite scene in the film.

As Dr. Stone finally makes it to the ISS, she needs to get out of her space suit in order to breath because she has used up all of her oxygen. As she gets out of her suit, the scene suddenly slows down and we see her embracing the "open air" inside the air lock and the she suddenly goes into a fetal position. As she does, the scene is framed in such a way that she is spinning inside the circle created by the window of the air lock, resembling a fetus inside the womb of a mother. This is the beginning of a new life for her. And she will finally come out of her shell and live in another scene later in the film.

While trying to restore communication, Dr. Stone is only able to pick-up a signal from someone on Earth, and she has resigned to the fact that no one can help her. As she begins to weep, the camera suddenly focuses on a single tear drop showing her reflection, but upside down. And then suddenly, a baby begins to weep from the radio and the camera focuses back to Stone. I interpret this as her re-birth. Just like how a new born baby comes into this world head first, or upside down, Stone finally realizes that there is no use in dwelling in the past and remaining dead inside. If she wants to keep living, she has to do it herself. She suddenly WANTS to live again, and wants to get back to earth.

When she finally does get back to Earth, she swims ashore and as she gets acclimated to the gravity she struggles to get to her feet. At one point she tries to pull herself up, but stumbles. However, instead of giving up and just laying down, she laughs it off and continues to push herself up. She has accepted that life will have their trials and stumbles along the way, but she refuses to be pushed down by the weight and gravity of living life on Earth. Before, she took comfort in the silence of space, a place where life is impossible. She felt comfortable in living a dead life. Gravity is her reminder that life is a constant struggle to stay on your feet, but you can only live life if you refuse to be weighed down by your worries.

Using space as his backdrop and symbol, Cuaron shows us the emptiness and blackness of living a life imprisoned by our own emotions. Although flaws prevent it from being one of my favorite films of 2013, it is clearly a visual treat as well as a beautiful lesson for anyone.

7.5/10