NOTFLIX Vol. 1: Moon
Yes, you’ll have to pay for these movies. Yes, I think they’re worth it.
While recording the latest episode of our CineNation podcast, I started thinking about the way Netflix and other streaming sites have changed how we think about movies. Specifically, I realized that we’ve generally become a culture that says “What can I watch?” as opposed to “What do I want to watch?” I know, I know, I’m too young to be reminiscing about the way things used to be. But I’m also tired of recommending a film to someone, then seeing their enthusiasm drop after they inevitably ask “Is it on Netflix?” and I have to answer, “No.” So I’m starting this series about films that are not in the catalogue of any online subscription streaming service, but are definitely worth renting or purchasing. Eligibility for this series is determined using CanIStream.It? which is an excellent resource for finding that film you want to watch across all streaming sites.
I’m not here to lecture anyone on torrenting, but for the purposes of this series, I’m just going to turn a blind eye and pretend you are all planning on watching these films through legal methods.
Forty-three years before Matt Damon made $400 million being stranded in space, David Bowie was singing about a man looking down on all of us from space.
Thirty-seven years later, Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones, directed his first feature film, also about a lone man looking down on us from space. This is Moon.
The film quickly introduces us to a world where all of our energy comes from mining on the moon. The mining operation is almost entirely automated, but one man must live at the lunar station to insure daily operations run smoothly. Since long-term isolation is understandably difficult, the mining company imposes a three year limit on every employee. Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is quickly approaching the end of his three year contract. The job has been pretty easy overall, but he’s still ready to get home to his wife and young daughter. Due to the communication lag between Earth and the moon, he hasn’t been able to talk with them live, only through recorded messages. His only real contact has been with GERTY (Kevin Spacey in a brilliant voice acting role), the friendly computer that monitors the mining operation and Sam’s daily routine.
It’s just another normal day for Sam, when he gets an alert that one of the satellites is down. But while he’s out in a rover checking on the equipment, he finds a rover that has crashed. And inside is a man. A man who looks exactly like him. Who is this? Is Sam losing his mind?
And that’s the film. We watch two versions of Sam Rockwell and a computer with Kevin Spacey’s voice trapped in a space station for the rest of the film. And it’s extremely entertaining. Jones’ tight directing and the film’s indie approach to minimalist sci-fi really pay off.
In the spirit of transparency, let me make a confession to you all: Sam Rockwell is one of my favorite actors in the business. He is brilliant and criminally underused in Hollywood. He throws himself wholeheartedly into any role he is given with an everyman charm that is unrivaled in the industry right now. I always think back to this quote from Entertainment Weekly’s review of The Way Way Back:
[Rockwell is] an actor who’s been so good for so long that he’s somehow been taken for granted in an industry that’s never quite known what to do with him.
And in Moon, I think he’s at the top of his game. He brings two very different versions of Sam Bell to life with his performance, as the “old” Sam and the newly discovered version of himself clash in the small lunar station.
And of course, who can forget Kevin Spacey? When I say Kevin Spacey as a ship’s on-board computer, you immediately think HAL knock-off, right? But Spacey’s GERTY is the opposite of HAL. GERTY has been specifically created to be a companion and caregiver for Sam. Spacey strikes that perfect balance between a computer’s coldness and GERTY’s surprisingly tender attempts to show empathy for Sam.
So if that’s enough to convince you, go watch it now. The film can be purchased digitally through Amazon or Apple or ordered through a Netflix mail subscription. But if you want to stick around for a little more discussion, let’s talk spoilers for a second. So I somewhat want you to read these spoilers, but if you really want to avoid them, just go watch the movie and then check back here.
DANGER. DANGER. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The film overall was a critical success. The combination of stellar performances in an indie, minimalist sci-fi setting paid off when the film hit theaters. But I think the film’s wide release suffered from being “mis-marketed,” as too many films sadly are. Trailers and early press billed the film as a cerebral thriller, a twisty tale that would keep you guessing until the end. I really don’t think that’s what the film is going for. I know many of my friends were disappointed in what they thought would be the “big twist.” So I want to spoil that twist for some of you, so you can look past it to the film as a whole.
Sam is a clone. All the Sams are clones. The mining company has stocked the basement of the space station with hundreds of Sam clones to run day-to-day operations. Unfortunately, the clones only last about three years before they biologically fall apart, hence the “three year contract.” A new Sam is thawed out as the last Sam dies off. Sam 2 is accidentally activated before Sam 1’s impending death, so they have to live with each other, knowing the truth about themselves.
Here’s why I just told you that: I think the real heart of this film lies in how both of the Sams handle this blow to their sense of self. They’ve both been instilled with the memories of the original Sam, who’s been back on Earth for years, and now they’re learning that none of those memories are their own. As Sam 2 handles this news with unattached coolness, Sam 1 struggles desperately with his sense of identity and his quickly failing body. This is what haunts me about Moon, not the “twist” of discovering they’re both clones. What do you do when you discover everything you truly believe about yourself is a lie?
So, anyway, check out the film, tweet your thoughts to me @hears_a_who. Do you hate me for spoiling “the twist?” Do you think the film functions better if it isn’t pitched to you with a twist? Do you think the idea of watching movies that aren’t available on Netflix is just dumb? Let me know. I can handle it.
