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Imagine going into space with the greatest view of Earth imaginable. Now imagine the terror of being marooned in the vacuum of space with no communication and the only protection being orbital mechanics. This is “Gravity” and its aesthetic, narrative and visual economy is stupendous.
As the first film in seven years by director Alfonso Cuarón (“Children of Men”), “Gravity” follows Matt Kowalski (George Clooney, “The American”) and Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side”) in their struggle to survive in space after particle debris destroys their shuttle.
Cuarón and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (“The Tree of Life”) showcase their visionary qualities in the arresting imagery of “Gravity,” from the opening elongated tracking shot to their focus on more ruminative images.
Bullock and Clooney play their characters with curt integrity. Clooney is the dashing hero while Bullock plays to her natural comic sensibilities. In any other movie her bumbling personality would be played for comic relief, but Cuarón twists it to become an intense guard. This elemental quality is circumscribed throughout “Gravity,” even during its darkest and most relentless moments, to curate Bullock’s dynamism in the role of Stone.
At the Toronto International Film Festival, GQ critic Tom Carson said that “Gravity” “may be a perfect movie” He may be right.
“Gravity” doesn’t aim for pedantry with a slender 91 minutes. The story is constructed excellently, tying all loose ends and never relieving tension. Cuarón and his son and co-writer Jonás Cuarón manage to turn the sullen weightlessness of space into a mechanism for coping with personal tragedies.
“Gravity” also may be one of the most uncomfortable films of the year. The Cuaróns recognize what makes the thought of floating between Earth and the endless expanse of the universe so frightening.
The most gripping moments of “Gravity” are when audience hears and appreciates the sound of another voice, even if it doesn’t speak the same language, loud and clear.
dkahen-kashi@theeagleonline.com
