Gravity (2013) was recently released to outstanding reviews after its premier at
the Venice Film Festival. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, the film tells the story
of survival during a catastrophic disaster in space, however themes of rebirth
are also explicitly clear. Gravity however,
is also a warning of the excessive use and destruction of materials on planet
Earth. By relocating into space, Cuaron has developed a story that perfectly
demonstrates the seemingly inevitable self-destruction of mankind through use
of vital fossil fuels and a lack of care of Earth.
Very
early into our introduction to the character of Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), we
are shown her devotion to her work. She seems unimpressed by the views of
Earth, despite Matthew Kowalski (George Clooney) encouraging her to relax and
enjoy them. Things quickly change however, as new filters through of the domino
effect from the self-destruction of a Russian satellite that has gone terribly
wrong. Stone finds her life in threat due to a lack of consideration for the
outcomes of a seemingly meaningless piece of destruction. Ryan Stone can be
seen as a twin representation, one of Mankind, and the other of Nature. Within
Stone, these things should be intertwined rather than conflicting ideologies, however
she has slowly moved away from these ideas due to her loss of focus on the
beauty of nature. However the fact remains that they are still inside her, the
decision to name her Stone is a simple tool to signify her link with Earth,
naming her after a core material to Earth. What the self-destruction of the satellite
does to Stone, is place her in immediate danger and starts the process of her
re-evaluating what’s important. She is suddenly sent spinning out into space,
and on the verge of death, or, the threat of extinction, due to the space junk
(an analogy to waste and rubbish on Earth and its danger to nature). This act
of self-destruction, committed by humans, changes Stone and begins a
re-birthing process that makes her question the very nature of her life, and
therefore, of mankind.
The
most explicit sign of the start of re-birthing is shown when Stone curls up
into a foetal position within the Space Station, slowly floating as the scale
of everything starts to dawn on her. These capsules and space stations
throughout Gravity become to signify
the only place where we can exist outside of Earth. They become wombs for
Stone, where there is a constant source of oxygen to breath. If we take Stone
to be representative of mankind, we can see parallels to that of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1969), in a
similar way that the Star Child represents the next state of human evolution
and a higher understanding of its surroundings. However instead of expanding
our horizons, Cuaron has mankind returning to Earth and becoming closer to
nature. Stone struggles to come to terms with this during her re-birthing
process, especially in relation to the hollow death of her young child. She has
seen the violence of nature, and the randomness of its violence, so how can she
become part of nature again? This random violence and destruction however is
compared to the same violence that mankind inflicts upon itself, that nearly
killed Stone as well. Stone begins the process of understanding that by living
with nature, rather than against it, there is hope.
Stone
eventually finds her way onto the Soyuz. She however soon discovers that there
is no fuel left to power it. Stone has literally run out of fuel to power her
home, or if we return to the Mankind analogy, we have run out of fossil fuels.
The excessive use and exploitation of Earth has taken Stone to the point where
there is seemingly no return, and again Stone is able to see how Mankind has
been more than happy to exploit Earth for its own needs. She is left, stuck,
floating in Space with little hope for survival. Just as her Oxygen, the most
vital resource of all, is about to run out, Stone has a vision of a returning
Kowalski who refocuses her. This can be viewed as a vision from a higher being,
a message to give Stone hope. Kowalski is able to guide her to safety, just
like many visions have guided people in the stories of the Bible. With this new
determination, and the vision of Kowalski, Stone is able to crash land her pod
into a small lake on Earth.
Stone
is in the final process of her rebirth, her capsule crashing into a small lake.
As she leaves the safety of the vessel, or the womb, she has to crawl out of
the water just like the very first creatures to leave the water for land
millions of years ago. As she feels the muddy Earth in her hands for the first
time in what seems forever, she is able to fully appreciate all of the beauty
of Earth, and its importance to human survival. Stone, or Mankind, is finally
intertwined again with nature. The re-birthing process has been completed.
Stone has seen the dangers of waste, the violent nature of mankind that
threatens each other, the inevitable problems of exhausting fossil fuels. She
has returned metaphorical to the womb in order to survive and relearn what it
means to be human. She has evolved, not as the Star Child, but as the Earth
Child.
DANNY MOLTRASI
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