Challenging, Inspiring, Great Discussion Catalyst

Rating: 9/10 (19 January 2007)

DEFINITELY go see this with friends. Sometimes a work of art is of great value if for no other reason than the conversations it provokes. This film has the distinction of being a great film, AND a work that inspires great conversation. I went to go see it with a group of women, some of whom would never normally see a SciFi film. Over dinner we had a profound, wide-ranging, challenging conversation inspired by this complex film. Talk ranged from a delightful debate over the film's ambiguities (which were essential and thought-provoking; some viewers these days are too used to every plot element being handed to them on a platter), to the environment, politics, immigration, spirituality, etc. The film itself was gritty, aesthetically gorgeous, eerily believable in it's "not too distant" future setting, and, in the end, quite inspiring. Although all women in our group had different responses, all gave it a thumbs up. Bravo to Director Cuaron and producers Hilary Shor, Abraham, Bernstein, et al.