Posts
In his feature film directorial debut, Duncan Jones has created the rare cinematic gem (at least in the film market of the last fifteen years.) Moon, starring Sam Rockwell as multiple characters (kind of), is a sci-fi indie flick for adults. As the director himself acknowledges, that is an almost extinct genre today. Jones, a former commercial director in the UK, has said he found himself perplexed and frustrated that today’s filmmakers seem to feel that science fiction “should be frivolous, for teenage boys” and full of superfluous special effects and CGI. Jones believes that today’s directors are “embarrassed by science fiction’s philosophical side.” As a result, Jones set out to make a sparse, tightly contained film that focused almost solely on the cerebral possibilities explored in what he calls the “golden age” of science fiction in the 70s and early 80s with films like Silent Running, Alien, and Blade Runner. In both its spirit and its retro sci-fi aesthetic, Moon succeeds as a successful homage to its influences while retaining plenty enough vitality to stand on its own two feet.
The film is set in a corporate-owned mining facility on the moon some (unknown) time in the future. A substance called Helium-3 is being mined and transported back to Earth for the purpose of supplying clean fusion energy (this substance actually exists as does its apparent ability to provide clean fusion energy.) The base is occupied only by one employee, Sam Bell (Rockwell), who is just finishing a solitary three-year stint in the facility. Bell’s only companion is the base’s intelligent computer, named Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey), who is a very obvious cinematic descendent to 2001’s HAL. Bell also has the ability to communicate via video conference with his colleagues and family on Earth, but because of an apparent malfunction these “interactions” can only take place in one-sided delayed recordings. The years of solitude seem to be taking their toll on Bell’s psyche, and when he suffers a head injury while working, questions arise as to Bell’s mental stability. More specifically, Bell is confronted with a crisis of identity, which sets the film (and Rockwell’s performance) in motion.
Moon seems to enjoy confronting questions of whether a “benevolent” green corporation might possibly commit very malicious acts or whether today’s supposedly social networking technologies are actually more successful in alienating and dehumanizing their users. The central focus of the film, however, is really an old-school psychological inquiry. As Bell is confronted with what might or might not be other images or manifestations of himself, he is nevertheless forced to deeply evaluate who he is and what forms his identity. Rockwell is simply stunning in portraying different versions of the Sam Bell identity, adding subtle nuance to differing versions of what is essentially the same character. At times, the “differing” Sam Bell characters are forced to interact with one another. I found myself awed at Rockwell’s ability as an actor to convincingly interact with no one else during filming. Such a challenge seems much more demanding than “interacting” with a non-existent green screen CGI creation whose eye-candy flash can mask bad or uninspired acting. Rockwell simply had nothing but himself to hide behind and pulled it off flawlessly, evoking a wealth of drama and emotion.
With little more than a single actor, a simple set, and very limited special effects, Moon succeeds in creating a film rich with subtle humor, well-earned tension, and engaging philosophical inquiry. One can only hope that this movie will usher in a resurgent golden era of thoughtful science fiction, free from the eclipse of bloated budgets and over-indulgent special effects. If nothing else, Moon is one small step in that direction.
