Moon (2009)

Sorry for the unannounced break in posts. I just moved back to school and it's been a time of unpacking, buying furniture, seeing some new movies, and lots of cleaning. Also my internet is kind of shoddy. Anyway.

Even 2 weeks after seeing Moon, my general thought is still just, "Wow". The first feature from Duncan "David Bowie's son" Jones, this is a gripping look at a not-too-distant future in which the majority of Earth's energy is produced cleanly and efficiently by special turbines on the moon run by Lunar Industries. The machines are maintained by one person for a three years at a time. The current lone operator is Sam Brown (Sam Rockwell), who is set to return home in two weeks. He is kept company by the ship's seemingly-sentient computer GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) as well as videos from his wife (Dominique McElligott) and baby (the live communication feed has been broken). While out in a moon-cruiser-vehicle (did they have names?), Sam accidentally drives into one of the machines and is badly injured.

He wakes up in the infirmary with no memory of the crash, and his bosses on Earth regulate him to the space station until help arrives. Feeling patronized and frustrated, he tricks GERTY into letting him out only to discover an injured astronaut in a broken-down cruiser... who looks exactly like him and also claims to be named Sam Brown. The two Sams hang out at the space station for a while, skirting around one another in confusion and unpleasant eeriness before deciding to work together to uncover the truth about their origins and thereby, the secret of Lunar Industries.

This movie. Is so. Good. For one thing, it's gorgeous. The sets are intricate and believable, and the use of models for the exterior shots and machinery is very well done. Nothing is too weirdly futuristic and everything is so fully realized. Clint Mansell's metallic score contributes to the hushed and nervous atmosphere elicited by the setting.

The entire movie is pretty much just Sam Rockwell, and he is completely capable of carrying it. He's a mixture of snarky, outraged, and terrified that completely resonates with the audience as a realistic, multi-layered character. He keeps his sanity through interactions with GERTY, whose passive voice and changeable smiley faces make for a slightly creepy technological marvel whose loyalties are questionable for most of the film. I think it was a reference to 2001, which I have never seen (I know, I know, don't worry I'll get on that).

The story is unique and fascinating, with a gradually escalating pace and tendency to respect the audience's intelligence, which I appreciated. The script leads from one plot point to another with subtlety and never veers into the over-dramatic. Moon is a film in which every element- the visuals, the acting, the direction, the music, the screenplay- all come together effortlessly to create a wholly enjoyable, intriguing, and twisted piece of science-fiction.

5/5