#gravity review
Perseverance it’s what keeps you going.
Gravity is a film directed by Alfonso Cuaron, a rare director that is able to take virtually any story handed to him and have it be told through beautiful cinematic sequences. From A Little Princess to Children of Men, his vision for movies is unparalleled and always plummets its audience deep into his film’s story.
A team of astronauts from NASA are sent into space to fix the orbiting Hubble telescope. During their mission another orbiting satellite is destroyed and its remnants now space debris. The debris is rapidly hurdling itself toward the team of NASA astronauts and inevitably makes contact with them, destroying their ship and leaving two astronauts stranded right outside Earth’s atmosphere.
When watching Gravity, and its plot develop, the audience not only is impressed by the amazing visuals in the film, but also by the emotional depth it carries. Sandra Bullock carries the entire film on her back as she goes from the disparate astronaut of whom essentially is in space to do a job and is all “business,” unlike George Clooney, who is often cracking jokes and telling stories while doing his spacewalk. It is in the small moments of dialogue between Bullock and Clooney do we get to realize what each character is about; and the different reasons they have in partaking in a remarkable experience of going to space.
Bullock is disjointed and wandering life with no destination, which makes space the perfect place for her; her character suffered through a tragedy in which her daughter’s life was taken from her due to a freak accident, and it left Bullock questioning the meaning of her existence; with work being the only reason for her existence.
She uses the opportunity that she has with Clooney to talk to him about her problems; turning space into her proverbial chaise lounge in a psychiatrist’s office. It is in these intimate moments that the audience can realize, that there are moments in life that will drag us down, but it’s how we overcome our obstacles and what we take away from the life lesson, is what shapes our future.
In the beginning Bullock’s character goes into space where the lack of gravity is symbolism for her not wanting to face the weight of her issues, but ironically enough it is her issues that help her realize her true strength and helps guide her through her predicament.
Cuaron majestically captures Bullock in the most beautiful ways as her dainty but fit body whimsically floats around in zero gravity, and her emotional depth drives the film past being just a visual spectacle. The moral of the film is simplified due to the simple nature of space and its representation of nothing and everything; the point here is to always persevere against all odds.
This is hands down the single greatest cinematic experience I’ve had in the better part of the last 3 years. Cuaron restores my faith in modern cinema with this gem. This entire film is one long breathtaking visual feat, packed with uncompromising suspense and reminds us that the problems we face on a daily basis is nothing compared to the grand scheme of life.
4/4
-DK
