One Man and his Moon

Rating: Null/10 (21 July 2009)

The debut feature of Duncan Jones, Moon is extraordinary. Small in scope, but beautifully formed, framed, designed and executed, it is a constant delight. Despite dealing with the very nature of existence, it is never heavy-handed, never hectoring or dry, always intriguing and interesting. And all this with essentially only one character, Sam (Sam Rockwell), a character whom throughout the film we actually learn very little about. We are given glimpses, snapshots of his life before the moon-base, but he remains for the majority of the film a cipher, a sketch of a character. But this is an incredibly complex sketch, and one which retains it's subtlety throughout the film.
Moon is very aware of its sources, but it draws upon the best of the genre: 2001, Silent Running and Solaris. The plot is not original, but moves in an altogether unexpected direction, while continuing to explore similar themes to its influences. The nature of existence, identity, loneliness and the manifestation and corruptibility of memory are all tackled here, with the deciding vote being left at the discretion of us all. Jones does not patronise us with coherent answers or polemics, he provides the vehicle for the discussion and keeps us engrossed in the trials of the central character.
Moon is a very humanistic film, quite unlike 2001 in terms of the behaviour of the characters. We have no men developing machine traits, and no machines becoming more human. The humanity of the piece is best encapsulated by Sam's single urge - to return home to Earth. He is no happy spaceman, he has lost all pioneer spirit by the time we are invited into his story. His exploration is limited to minor forays out onto the surface of the Moon in armoured vehicles, and he does not identify himself as anything out of the ordinary, despite his location. He displays little ambition, other than to return home at the end of his contract with his sanity intact, but this allows us to have a clear mind concerning his travails, without the usual distractions and smoke and mirrors. Every emotion which is betrayed has a thematic purpose, and this is of great credit to the director and writer.
I feel that Moon will reward repeat viewings. This is an intricate work and one with depth, a picture which is unafraid to trade in philosophy and ethics, a picture which eschews broad strokes for delicate handling. This is not Star Wars and all the better for it.