*May contain spoilers*
Recently I saw Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Wow. I barely know where to begin. I went in expecting a space horror story similar to Apollo 18 (López-Gallego 2011), but while Gravity may be seriously one of the most stressful, high-energy films I have seen in a while, there were no alien gimmicks to add that “outside force” or antagonist which was surprisingly refreshing. This lack of a “personified” oppositional force made the film all the more realistic and frightening. You could not go home later and relax yourself by reaffirming your personal beliefs in aliens (whatever they may be). This film dealt with all the real dangers and horrors of the soul-sucking vacuum of space and space travel which turn out to be pretty devastating for Bullock.
The pacing was beautifully done, the use of technology with the green screen and 3D animation, the dialogue, and overall imagery was brilliant so I cannot resist giving each cinematic element the praise it deserves.
Pacing: The juxtaposition between the shots of the emptiness and utter lack space represents, versus the inner space of the various space stations is phenomenal. The camera movement and pacing in the space sequences are uncut and seemingly handheld. The camera mimics the weightless effect of space and the long takes are very representative of the eternal continuity of space. The scenes where Bullock is inside space stations, shuttles, and what not, are very fast-paced. They contain numerous cuts and the camera is all over the place in regards to angles. It seems like the very air (or lack thereof) affects camera movement.
Technology: Cuarón’s use of technology is very adaptive to the overall story of Gravity. It is not distracting or gimmicky. Within the first couple minutes, the 3D almost made me nauseous, but not in a “I hate technology, this 3D stuff sucks” kind of way. Cuarón instead uses technology to his advantage that allows his audience to feel like they are floating through the expansive space that surrounds them at every perceived angle. I agree with Jon Stewart when I say I almost don’t want to know how this film was made.
Dialogue: The dialogue of the film was quite interesting to note. The film was very realistic in that Bullock’s character has moments of self-reflection where she speaks aloud to herself. However, her dialogue never really feels forced or unrealistic. Dialogue is not essential to the plot, making every word mean that much more. The music was also astounding in the film. Since the beginning of the film states that space can contain no noise, the soundtrack of this film makes up perfectly for every explosion, sequence of tension, dream-sequence, and moment of heartbreaking silence. We are denied the sounds of squealing metal and the crushing of rock on steel and are met instead with the booming tones of a symphony.
Overall, I was very impressed with Cuarón’s work. I went in expecting a certain type of darkness that I have noticed in his previous work (such as Prisoner of Azkaban and Children of Men), but I was pleasantly surprised with his originality and continued mastery of cinematography. He was risky with his choices–most notably killing off one of his best accredited and money-making actors in George Clooney, a technique I have not seen since Psycho.
The film was very Alien-esque as well as I was sure to see a 21st century Ripley in Bullock. We almost saw it in the stripping of the space suit to reveal Bullock in a tank top and spandex, but as she dons her space suit again, as an audience, we are not particularly encouraged to look at Bullock as a sex object. However, Bullock is made into the suffering mother of a dead child. Is this rejection of female roles what makes her strong? Or is this role supposed to evoke sympathy and connection in Bullock that we may normally not form with her as an audience member? As I have said before, we see the critique we want to believe, so for me this could go many ways.
One thing you are sure to hear about, if not already, is the continuous birthing/escaping from the womb imagery throughout the film. I have heard speculation that when Bullock is first thrown from her connection to the space station, she represents the beginning of contraception. Whether or not this, or many other theories, are true, the main birthing images take place in the middle and end of the film. When Bullock finds her first state of salvage inside a space station, she curls into a fetal position, is
framed in back light (creating a halo effect around her whole body), and some carefully placed tubes mimic an umbilical chord. Bullock becomes the epitomic image of an ultra sound. That image was hard to miss. When Bullock finally reaches Earth, she crashes into the water and must escape from her pod and the crushing weight of the waves. Does this symbolize the realization of the liquid space of the womb and thus the beginning of the birthing? Bullock breaks the surface of the sea and makes it to shore where she stumbles and crawls like a child learning to walk until she stands once more on her home planet, reborn into a survivor.
I may not be the first to say it, but Gravity has my vote for the Oscar. Definitely a must-see even if it is purely for a break from the summer/year of sequels. Gravity will come through on thrills, entertainment, and most importantly, art.
Rough Cut 