The second best film I’ve seen so far at SIFF (The first being Paper Heart. Review on the way.) is a film that I don’t actually get to review for work because someone else got to it first. But I feel the need to mention it anyway because the more I think about it, the more I like it. That film is Moon. I’m not sure why it’s being marketed as a terrifying space madness film like Sunshine or Solaris. Perhaps it’s to protect the “twist”. But the twist isn’t really a twist. It’s more like a plot point that is revealed pretty early on. The real story is about what Sam Rockwell’s character (conveniently also called Sam) does with that information. Brugos pointed out that the real twist is actually the robot’s role in all of this. And that Kevin Spacey, the voice of the robot, isn’t annoying. It would appear that these days, Spacey is only a tolerable actor when he’s not emoting.
Anyway, here is the trailer. It’s a great trailer in that it makes the film look good. But it also misleads the viewer.
I hesitate to tell you what the deal is with Moon because every other reviewer seems to be keeping it a secret. But I honestly think that does the film a disservice because you go into it expecting one kind of film and getting another. So I’ll tell you the deal under a cut. If don’t want to know the secret, I can confirm what everyone else is saying about Rockwell’s acting. He’s phenomenal. He’s hilarious and can convey 50 conflicting emotions with one glance. If you are a fan of sci-fi at all, you should see Moon. But if you do want to know, I will tell you. Are you ready? Here it is:
Sam is a clone. Moon isn’t about space madness (per se, though I think for anyone living in space it’s somewhat unavoidable). It’s not about the inevitable and dangerous failure of space technology. It’s about Sam learning he’s a clone and what he does with that information. And it’s terrific! See it.
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