A Relative Matter

Rating: 9/10 (5 November 2014)

Nolan does it again. He gives us a thought-provoking adventure with basis on the past, present, and possible future of humankind. It makes us ponder about how we came about, where and why we are experiencing the current state of affairs, and the possible outcome. Who is responsible for humankind's future? Who do we relate to and why? Are there any "they" out there to guide, help, protect us, or send us to our ultimate fate.
"Interstellar" follows the journey of a man who is selected to find a possible solution to our dying environment. He stumbles upon a secret, scientific project that might take him to another galaxy where he can find a suitable answer to our problems. What he is told, what happens, and what the others do is what makes the tale so interesting and exciting. However, this is not "Star Wars" or "Close Encounters". It is a original idea that goes beyond what others have hinted at before. What if we dared crossed that border? What if we pushed ourselves a little more? Where does the spiritual and the scientific intersect? Of course, there will be questions about theology, though we hardly hear the characters make any direct references to such entities, but we have a wonderful score that certainly reminds us of what is not being said.
In order to get our interests, the outline is laid out, and Cooper (Matthew) is soon on his way to Saturn and the wormhole that will serve as a conduit to the other galaxy where there will be more choices and answers to our questions. Unfortunately, there might not be enough time to deal with the possibilities, and that is where the problem lies. On top of that, there are always surprises along the way, and both nature itself and human nature have a way of coming up with more variables than we care to deal with.
Soon the pilot and scientists see themselves in worlds where both gravity, time, and energy take on different manifestations from what we are used to. Some storms are just much bigger and powerful than what we are accustomed to, and there is always hidden agendas, unexpected twists to the story, and our ability to try our hardest when things become really complicated.
I truly enjoyed the way some natural events and emotions are explained in very detailed scientific lingo, which might prove fresh to some and too challenging to other members of the audience. What strikes me, too is that though the film appears to slow down for some of these exchanges, it never becomes boring. There is always the lure of mystery, of knowledge, and how the mind is thirsty for some sort of stimulation, and in this film, knowledge is power and salvation, and I found it invigorating and hopeful that books are prominently displayed here.
We can see how technology allows Nolan to create a new series of visual and sound effects, which play an important part here, and it is very satisfying to see that space looks "real", and by the time we are taken through the wildest moments of the ride, we are not disappointed. In fact, the climax of the film is even more complex than expected because here is where technology, faith, and the will to survive blend quite nicely. Nolan keeps his characters real, even when it becomes more challenging to believe there is the possibility of another level to the way we understand the word "dimension".
All of the performers do excellent work here, with Jessica and Matthew leading the pack. Caine, Burstyn, Hathaway and Damon do very good supporting work, and each one does his/her best to make the story's difficult parts believable and relatable. There is not going to be anyone in the audience who will not believe the way the laws of physics and biology are pushed to the limit because the structure of the film is very intelligent, never going beyond what we understand, and if still a bit incomprehensible, at least it lays the foundations for what might be a more concrete possibility in the future.
"Interstellar" will have you thinking, believing, and loving every minute those people are on the screen. We have a little bit of everything, and the balances are just right because even a power emotion like love is somehow explained in a logical way that will have skeptics believing that it is as real anything that scientists can fabricate in a lab. "Interstellar" shows another side of Science Fiction, making it more tangible, more real, more heartfelt, and way different from what we have seen before.