Moon (directed by Duncan Jones)

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IMDB page

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey (voice)

She said:

I have wanted to watch this film ever since I first saw the poster (and in actual fact I only saw the trailer just before watching the film itself). If you pay close attention to our blog I am sure I have mentioned at some point what a sucker I am for anything stuck in space. I have high expectations and I have to say - these expectations were definitely fulfilled by Moon. This film is a masterpiece and I really enjoyed it.

This film is about so many things and yet has a single primary actor, Sam Rockwell who I will go on to rave about (and there may be some drool) in just a moment. This film explores loneliness, perceptions of reality, morality, ethics, humanity, emotion and empathy. And it does so with actually quite a simple basic story. Without giving the whole plot away this is basically a film about a guy called Sam who has a contract to work for an energy company, on the moon, alone, for three years. Then one day he discovers someone who is... well him. I was instantly intrigued by this premise.

Sam Rockwell was given the hard task of first playing someone who has been alone for three years, and second acting to himself. He did both of these wonderfully. I personally cannot conceive of the things being alone for three years would do to your mind but Rockwell managed to achieve a connection with the audience through his very honest and raw acting. His interaction with GERTY (the computer) was was warming mcuh like Tom Hanks' Wilson in Castaway. And then of course it is not easy for an actor to interact with himself on screen but again this was done very well by Rockwell, supported by the effects team.

By the way you get a shot of him naked. He has a nice bum. This is the drool part.

One of the things that impressed me most about this film was the cinematography and the fact that unlike a lot of films set on the moon or an alien planet, this didn't look like it was filmed in a desert outside Los Angeles. In fact it looked indeed as if it were shot on the moon! I know it can't have been - but the effects were beautifully done. I have read that they were models rather than CGI which I always think gives a better finish, provided it is done well.

If the above doesn't convince you then I know this next fact will interest at least some of my friends: Duncan Jones, the debuting director, is the son of David Bowie. That man can do a good space song - I guess it is no wonder his son would direct a film set on the moon with such grace and beauty.

Made on a budget of $5million, which is very little in cinema terms, this film is worth a watch. It isn't action packed, it isn't a laugh a minute, but I would be very surprised if you walked away unaffected by this bittersweet story: a story of human capability in regards to what our race is capable of surviving, and what our race is capable of doing. I give this film 4.5 out of 5.