Gravity is undoubtably one of the most audacious and revolutionary science fiction movies since Stanley Kubrick’s ground-braking “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Usually in films there is something of a disconnect between the visual image that the viewer is presented, and the movie’s spiritual narrative. This movie however, is an exception to that normality, because it entwines the narrative and the image together perfectly. It takes you on two journeys: Dr. Stone’s physical journey, and Dr. Stone’s spiritual journey, both of which parallel each other perfectly.
Dr. Stone played by Sandra Bullock, is thrown into space, disconnecting herself from the rest of humanity. This can (perhaps rather obviously) represent loneliness. Dr. Stone has experienced that before when her child died. She then attempts to find various of “safe houses” or “sanctuaries” to protect her from the debris. One particular “safe house” reveals itself two thirds of the way through the movie and comes as a big, as well as, pleasant surprise to the audience only for viewers to then be forced to accept reality and understand that we’ve simply and briefly been allowed into one of Dr. Stones ‘sanctuaries’. Once again, everyone in life comes across these places where they can heal and recover. The director explains it like this: ”(throughout the movie) You have cocoons, those little shelters in which life can reside. And at the end, our own body is nothing but a cocoon.” At the end of the film we find Dr. Stone in a place of complete tranquility, which could easily represent heaven.
There are good movies, great movies and masterpieces. A good movie is one that either: has a narrative, or is made very well. A great movie is one that has both. But a masterpiece is one that not only has both, but interweaves them over each other so that they are un-separable. In my opinion Cuaròn’s Gravity is most certainly a masterpiece
