In the near future, the Moon is being used to harvest helium-3, Earth’s new primary source of energy. With the memory of an energy crisis still fresh in the public’s memory, a corporation called Lunar has built a mining station on the dark side of the moon that needs only one man to operate it in three-year shifts. Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) walks around his workstation that doubles as his living quarters with a familiarity born of repetition. Due to technical problems with the station’s transmission, he must send and receive recorded video messages to his wife and children, and there’s and occasional encouraging message from corporate. For the most part though, he has only Gerty to talk to, its small screen displaying various smiley faces depending on the tone it wishes to convey. With only two weeks left in his term, Sam’s routine is interrupted by an accident on a rover that knocks him unconscious. He awakens to find not only lapses in his memory, but second Sam Bell. Cue head spinning.
Sam Rockwell, who has been stealing scenes in quirky supporting roles for years, plays the role with energy and convincing humanity. Given the chance to stretch in a film featuring virtually no other actors, Rockwell brings humor to an otherwise foreboding film and captures the idiosyncrasies of man in prolonged isolation. With the help of seamless trick photography, we’re able to watch Rockwell interact with himself without ever doubting the credibility of his performance or the premise of the film.
Moon is science fiction built on suspense, mystery and imagination (as opposed to battling robots or the Starship Enterprise). Aside from the initial comparisons to Stanley Kubrick’s now classic philosophy-over-science film, Moon bears similarities to more recent science fiction, namely television’s Lost. The two share an affinity for mysteries that unravel backwards and hidden clues (there’s even a secret hatch here!), and I would be surprised if director Duncan Jones were not a fan of the series. The mark of other sci-fi influences is in the look of the film. The mining station lacks the sleek feel of an idealized future, but rather features more industrial technology first seen in films like Ridley Scott’s Alien (no surprise considering Alien’s set designer was hired to work on this film). Throw in a haunting musical score and it all adds up to a darker vision of our imminent space age. Behind the Lunar Corporation’s promise of a better tomorrow is man pushing buttons and talking himself (figuratively and literally) in a station that could use a few repairs.
The directorial debut of commercial director Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie (I’ll avoid the “Starman” jokes”), Moon is an exciting film that acknowledges those that came before it while paving its own thought-provoking mythology. By the time the end credits roll, there are a few loopholes left unanswered, but the film remains a superb example of the best science fiction has to offer. This is Ground Control to Jones’s career: 3…2…1…Lift off! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
- Steve Avigliano, 7/13/09
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