Today me and Aino went all the way to Brixton, London to watch a film, albeit one that I’ve been anticipating for a while. Moon, directed by Duncan Jones, son of Bowie (though there is a chance you’ll already know this since every newspaper/magazine article about this film has been ramming this factoid down your throat with brute force), recently won the top prize at the Edinburgh Film Festival and is a refreshing alternative to a summer of many, many cash cow calamities.
I can’t really say too much of the plot because it is so carefully constructed but what I will say is that some of the themes and overall story details are not original and definitely owe a debt to some of the great sci-fi films of the past. I’ll give it a go anyway. It’s all about a man called Sam. On the surface, Moon is quite a simple sci-fi film – man is in space and man is very, very lonely. The only conversation to the outside world that feels even vaguely emotional to Sam is pre-recorded video messages to his wife, Tess. Or is he alone? It turns out that Sam may not be alone as he previously thought.
Sam Rockwell is well cast and his performance is solid. As the film develops, Sam’s physical condition continues to decline. It gives him the perfect chance to showcase his various skills as an actor. Technically, this is a film that ticks all the boxes – the combination of making brilliant use of a set that looks relatively sparse and a rather beautiful soundtrack to evoke emotion where so many other (and it should be said, big blockbusters) sci-fi films have failed. I must admit that I appreciated the technical side more than the acting side but the two together work very well.
If you get a chance to see Moon, you should. Talent definitely seems to run in the family where Duncan Jones is considered, even if it means going into a completely different genre of entertainment instead.
