A dazzling achievement

Rating: 8/10 (24 November 2013)

In Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) and Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) are space-walking astronauts on a routine mission to introduce a new technology into the systems of the Hubble telescope. Stone is on her first mission and Kowalski on his last and his matter-of-fact wisecracking humor sharply contrasts with Stone's studious solidity. Things change rapidly from order to chaos, however, when an off-course Russian missile destroys a satellite and releases a shower of shrapnel into orbit hurtling in the direction of their shuttle. Stone and Kowalski are the mission's only survivors, left spinning helplessly in space after their shuttle is destroyed.
When contact with home is broken, they keep talking to whoever is out there, listening to themselves, hoping to be heard. We are with them in space with the sun-drenched image of the Earth always present thanks to the breathtaking cinematography of Emmanuel Lubezki. Tethered together, floating 600 kilometers above the Earth with their oxygen running dangerously low, the only option for them is to make their way to a capsule on either the International Space Station or a smaller Chinese orbiting platform to find an escape pod to take them home. Along the way, Dr. Stone has to deal with fires, extreme temperatures, mechanical failures, and language barriers just to stay afloat.
Demoralized by a tragic incident in her life that has left her feeling that life is simply a random throw of the dice, Stone must call upon reservoirs of strength she had not known she possessed to transcend the barriers that stand in her way. For her, getting home requires the courage to let go of her attachments and experience herself newly, to see her life as birth and rebirth. Although the personal drama feels calculated, Gravity is a dazzling achievement and one that hopefully may begin to lead us away from seeing the universe in terms of our fears to one of a deeper reverence for its mystery and beauty. Without doubt it is a film about surviving and reaching one's goal, yet, more than that, it is about learning to appreciate the ride.