Great sci-fi debut from a promising director

Rating: 8/10 (8 July 2009)

Sam Rockwell is the sole human caretaker of a clean energy mining base on the moon, due to go home in two weeks, when strange images start to haunt him. Is he just a little homesick, or is something strange happening? A simple premise, and in the hands of amateurs this $5m budget sci-fi indie flick could have turned into a predictable series of space clichés, but the inspired acting of Sam Rockwell and the creative force of Duncan Jones (formerly Zowie Bowie, and a near-ringer for his dad) turn it into a compelling, thoughtful film dealing with issues of technology, corporatism, loneliness, human identity, and long-distance love. I saw this tonight at a British Film Institute screening in London, which included a Q&A with Duncan Jones. He explained some of the challenges and solutions of creating low-budget, meaningful science-fiction films in a world populated by Transformers and a powerful but largely safe mainstream sci-fi industry. His obvious devotion and keen knowledge of science fiction shows through in the film's homages to classics of 1970s/1980s sci-fi, retaining the darker feel of those times while bringing the story right into the 21st century. This is a must-see. Fans of this film will be happy to know he is working on another sci-fi project called "Mute" set in a futuristic Berlin, and one doesn't need to read the zodiac to be certain this is one director whose star is definitely ascending.