Rated R for language and some disturbing violent content/bloody images
Cast: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Clemence Poesy, Kate Burton
Director: Danny Boyle
**This review may contain spoilers for those unfamiliar with the true story of Aron Ralston.**
The look on his face says it all. It's a difficult expression to describe. Sort of between a post-initial shock and a pre-despair setting in. Call it a cosmic disbelief.
How can this have happened to him? Just a short time earlier skilled mountain climber and thrill seeker Aron Ralston (James Franco) was enjoying a swim with a couple cute strangers (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara) in a stunning underground lake deep within the caverns embedded in the quiet, vast, and desolate Utah country. And now? Here he is, having just slipped down a crevasse as a small boulder has fallen in such a way to pin his right arm, trapping him deep in an isolated canyon. His new found friends have already left the area. He informed no one of his destination before heading out. His water already in short supply. Uninhabited land for miles. Time offering no mercy. Escape seems a cruel pipe dream. This is the ultimate "oops" moment.
"127 Hours", based on Ralston's aptly named book "Between a Rock and a Hard Place", recounts the true life horror faced as Aron Ralston came toe-to-toe with the most cruel of fates. We know the story by now. That doesn't impact the power this film manages to unleash on the viewer. This is a gut-wrenching experience.
The idea of being trapped brings to mind another movie released earlier this year, "Buried." That one was constructed more like a thriller, while this film--harrowing as it is--plays more like a love letter to the human survival spirit. Sort of like how Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" is, despite its level of graphic violence, a love letter to humanity.
The idea of this is unsettling enough, but director Danny Boyle isn't interested in making a docudrama. He is an artist at heart, and incorporates a slew of unusual visual touches in an effort to dissect the psychology of the experience. These touches include shots from inside Ralston's water bottle as the remaining liquid seeps out, time lapse photography conveying the mere fifteen minutes of sunlight that creep into the crevasse each day, and various split-screen effects showing everything from hallucinations to flashbacks.
Throughout the ordeal, Ralston flashes back to various experiences, but two stood out for me. One involves a phone call taken by his answering machine just prior to his departure. The message was from his mother, but he left without returning her call. Now his mind is infiltrated by the image of the answering machine itself, the flashing light sadistically teasing his subconscious thoughts. The other is from a sporting event where Ralston and his girlfriend at the time (Clemence Poesy) break up. We don't know the context of the split itself, but we don't need to know. It's one of those life moments where one's relationship frustrations seem important at the time, yet trivial when one stares death in the face.
Mainstream audiences really didn't latch onto the talent of Danny Boyle until his Oscar win for "Slumdog Millionaire." Yet he's been churning out brilliant works of cinematic art for years now, from the drug-addiction drama "Trainspotting" to the zombie-like terror of "28 Days Later..." to the coming-of-age drama "Millions" to the under-appreciated science-fiction thriller "Sunshine." Boyle and his longtime collaborator Simon Beaufoy have managed to find the humanity in all their stories, regardless of genre. Artists to the core. Here, they dive deep into the psychological machinations of this horrific situation while pulling no punches in displaying the willpower Ralston summons to do what needs to be done to return to his loved ones. The severing of his limb--including the snapping of bone and slicing of tendons and ligaments--is shown in excruciating detail.
James Franco is an ideal choice to play Ralston. An actor imbued with both insanely good looks and the impetus to chuck them on a dime if it will improve his artistic craft, he could probably have his pick of standard leading man roles but opts out for smaller, quirkier parts in "Milk" as Harvey Milk's long-suffering partner and as the stoner Saul in "Pineapple Express." Here he masterfully conveys Ralston's decaying mental state as the hours go by. At one point, as delirium inches ever closer, he engages in a kind of "tv interview" with himself over the absurdity of his situation. In the middle of it, he stops, softly whispers the word "oops" and slowly shakes his head. Tears do not form... his situation is beyond that. All that's left now is his thoughts. Contemplations. Realizations on how one's future is sadistically determined by the most arbitrary of factors and decisions. The mind can be a dangerous thing when one has the time to explore its depths.
With the danger of defeatist thoughts, however, comes the heart and willpower to find ways to survive, and Aron Ralston managed to do just that. The movie is a triumph of will, yes, but it's also a reminder to value each and every moment we have. Unfortunate spells of "oops" will happen. There's no way to prevent them. We're human. Those moments come with the territory. All we can do is realize that the arbitrary factors which determine our fate also serve as a reminder of how valuable the journey of life itself is. If only it didn't take extreme situations to realize that.
* * * * out of * * * * stars
**This review may contain spoilers for those unfamiliar with the true story of Aron Ralston.**
How can this have happened to him? Just a short time earlier skilled mountain climber and thrill seeker Aron Ralston (James Franco) was enjoying a swim with a couple cute strangers (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara) in a stunning underground lake deep within the caverns embedded in the quiet, vast, and desolate Utah country. And now? Here he is, having just slipped down a crevasse as a small boulder has fallen in such a way to pin his right arm, trapping him deep in an isolated canyon. His new found friends have already left the area. He informed no one of his destination before heading out. His water already in short supply. Uninhabited land for miles. Time offering no mercy. Escape seems a cruel pipe dream. This is the ultimate "oops" moment.
"127 Hours", based on Ralston's aptly named book "Between a Rock and a Hard Place", recounts the true life horror faced as Aron Ralston came toe-to-toe with the most cruel of fates. We know the story by now. That doesn't impact the power this film manages to unleash on the viewer. This is a gut-wrenching experience.
The idea of being trapped brings to mind another movie released earlier this year, "Buried." That one was constructed more like a thriller, while this film--harrowing as it is--plays more like a love letter to the human survival spirit. Sort of like how Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" is, despite its level of graphic violence, a love letter to humanity.
The idea of this is unsettling enough, but director Danny Boyle isn't interested in making a docudrama. He is an artist at heart, and incorporates a slew of unusual visual touches in an effort to dissect the psychology of the experience. These touches include shots from inside Ralston's water bottle as the remaining liquid seeps out, time lapse photography conveying the mere fifteen minutes of sunlight that creep into the crevasse each day, and various split-screen effects showing everything from hallucinations to flashbacks.
Throughout the ordeal, Ralston flashes back to various experiences, but two stood out for me. One involves a phone call taken by his answering machine just prior to his departure. The message was from his mother, but he left without returning her call. Now his mind is infiltrated by the image of the answering machine itself, the flashing light sadistically teasing his subconscious thoughts. The other is from a sporting event where Ralston and his girlfriend at the time (Clemence Poesy) break up. We don't know the context of the split itself, but we don't need to know. It's one of those life moments where one's relationship frustrations seem important at the time, yet trivial when one stares death in the face.
Mainstream audiences really didn't latch onto the talent of Danny Boyle until his Oscar win for "Slumdog Millionaire." Yet he's been churning out brilliant works of cinematic art for years now, from the drug-addiction drama "Trainspotting" to the zombie-like terror of "28 Days Later..." to the coming-of-age drama "Millions" to the under-appreciated science-fiction thriller "Sunshine." Boyle and his longtime collaborator Simon Beaufoy have managed to find the humanity in all their stories, regardless of genre. Artists to the core. Here, they dive deep into the psychological machinations of this horrific situation while pulling no punches in displaying the willpower Ralston summons to do what needs to be done to return to his loved ones. The severing of his limb--including the snapping of bone and slicing of tendons and ligaments--is shown in excruciating detail.
James Franco is an ideal choice to play Ralston. An actor imbued with both insanely good looks and the impetus to chuck them on a dime if it will improve his artistic craft, he could probably have his pick of standard leading man roles but opts out for smaller, quirkier parts in "Milk" as Harvey Milk's long-suffering partner and as the stoner Saul in "Pineapple Express." Here he masterfully conveys Ralston's decaying mental state as the hours go by. At one point, as delirium inches ever closer, he engages in a kind of "tv interview" with himself over the absurdity of his situation. In the middle of it, he stops, softly whispers the word "oops" and slowly shakes his head. Tears do not form... his situation is beyond that. All that's left now is his thoughts. Contemplations. Realizations on how one's future is sadistically determined by the most arbitrary of factors and decisions. The mind can be a dangerous thing when one has the time to explore its depths.
With the danger of defeatist thoughts, however, comes the heart and willpower to find ways to survive, and Aron Ralston managed to do just that. The movie is a triumph of will, yes, but it's also a reminder to value each and every moment we have. Unfortunate spells of "oops" will happen. There's no way to prevent them. We're human. Those moments come with the territory. All we can do is realize that the arbitrary factors which determine our fate also serve as a reminder of how valuable the journey of life itself is. If only it didn't take extreme situations to realize that.
* * * * out of * * * * stars
