As we were leaving the theatre my Matinee guest this week, Nicole, "I'm not sure if it's a feel good movie or a downer." Which is an excellent point, this moving is as harrowing as it is moving, but in the end, what this movie really is, is inspirational.
I remember back in 2003 when I first heard the story of the mountain climber who cut off his arm being absolutely astounded. But that was about the end of it, I never really contemplated what must have been going through Aron Ralston's mind as he decided to quit waiting to die and make the decision to live.
One of the things that Danny Boyle has been so successful with as of late is bringing the everyman to the screen. The Aron Ralston at the beginning of '127 Hours' [and I make this distinction because if you asked me now, I would say he most definitely is] isn't a hero. He's a regular guy who likes to climb, who forgets to call his mom back, who wants more from his life than to just be an engineer; nonetheless when faced with a most impossible situation he rises above. When he realises he's well and truly stuck in this canyon he very calmly takes everything out of his pack to see what he has to work with, not only that, but he has the forethought to preserve as much of his water as he can. What is most fascinating about these actions, especially the water, is that after only being stuck for just over 24 hours, he records his goodbyes to his family, convinced that he's not going to survive. Yet he can't give up living; I would like to think that the whole human race has something of that desire to live in it, and not a fear of dying so much as the inability to contemplate not living in the next moment: this is what Danny Boyle puts on the screen for us in '127 Hours.'
James Franco is absolutely terrific as Aron Ralston. While he may confuse some with his jumping all over the place, from 'General Hospital' to a random cameo in 'The Green Hornet' I think he's just a guy who refuses to 'act' by Hollywood's rules, which makes him perfect for the happy-go-lucky Ralston. He brings the horror and heroism of the situation into every moment he's on the screen, and there are a lot of them. He's alone on screen for about 75% of the flick. One of my absolute favourite parts of the movie happens during the first morning after he's been pinned. As the sun rises, it fills the cracks of the canyon with warm sunlight, the absolute delight that comes over Franco's Ralston as he takes off his shoe to bask in the light is incredibly moving. I'd like to say that Franco is even more amazing as it comes to the end when Ralston has finally chosen to cut off his arm, but I have to admit I couldn't really watch it. From when he breaks his own arm so he can cut through I had to turn and look at Nicole, who was, impressively, watching the whole thing [kudos my friend, kudos]. Since the Academy LOVES to give out awards to actors who play real people [Charlize Theron, Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker, Reese Witherspoon and Julia Roberts just to name a few, and bonus points if you can name the roles and movies] I think James Franco and Colin Firth are going to be our front runners for this year's Oscar.
One last thing before signing off. Cinematography. Holy cow. Absolutely beautiful. Granted, it's not hard to make Moab, Utah or the Arches National Park look gorgeous, but the way it's put on screen in '127 Hours' is absolutely breathtaking. The warm sun on the honey coloured rocks, it's enough to make you want to go climbing, even AFTER watching the movie. It's also a great contrast between the wide open spaces of the park to the itty bitty space where we spend most of the movie, stuck looking up at the blue sky, wishing, like Ralston, that we could get back out to those lovely landscapes. Needless to say cinematographers Enrique Chediak and Anthony Dod Mantle have my vote for this awards season...that is, they would, if I had a vote.
That's all for now, but I'm going to be back later this week with a round up and review of the many trailers I saw in January, I know I said I was going to do that earlier, but hey, my blog, my rules!
No comments:
Post a Comment