127 Hours

127 Hours opens and closes with montages of people in mass. People on the street, people in stadiums, at worship, people interacting and living amidst each other. It is a great contrast to the life of the central character in the film, Aron Ralston. He is a man that is mainly concerned with one thing, himself. Ralston is played brilliantly by James Franco in an Oscar nominated performance. Out of the performances I have seen so far this year, it should have won in my book. The progression his character goes through in this film is brought ot life perfectly. For a movie mainly concerned with a man stuck in a crevice it is amazingly fast paced and engaging.

 

Going into the movie I was excited to see how well the it would work because I was a big fan of James Franco and Director Danny Boyle. This was Boyles follow up to his Best Picture winner Slumdog Millionaire. I had been intrigued by Ralstan's story back in 2003 when it first happened. I was impressed by this man's ability to do the unthinkable to survive, but also always thought he was just kind of an idiot for having gone out there by himself without telling anyone where he was. Franco's portrayal of him really makes the audience connect with Ralstan. As the days go by, Ralstan's struggle to survive becomes more precarious, his hallucinations become more severe, his memories flood into the film and his confessions to his video camera become more and more candid. These devices allow a window into Ralstan's mental and physical life.

 

Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy do a wonderful job of showing the importance of community and connections with each other by showing a man completely alone. It comments on the effect that selfishness and carelessness with the way we relate to each other can have on our lives. The film does build to the climax that everyone is expecting and possibly dreading. It is shocking and uncomfortable but done in a way that is not sensationalist or just for shock. Most of it is only heard and done just off screen.

 

I highly recommend seeing this film for Boyle's direction, Franco's tour de force performance and a story that is surprisingly emotional and inspiring.