Space Cowboys and Apollo 13, watch out; Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity takes audiences for a ride to hell and back.
Imagine sitting in the theater and watching the majestic view of Earth from space. It is so quiet that nobody can hear anything except for the sound of people eating popcorn. Gradually, the audience starts to hear voices as the crew of the space shuttle Explorer comes into view, working on their final spacewalk before disaster strikes.
This is how the film Gravity starts up, quickly grabbing the audience’s attention from the dead cold of space. The film is directed by Harry Potter’s Alfonso Cuaron and stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, respectively Dr. Ryan Stone and Lt. Matt Kowalski, as they attempt return back to Earth.
Without giving too much away to interested viewers, Gravity uses the elements of the sheer silence of space and 
survival. Plus, the film offers a recurring theme of rebirth to create a film that takes viewers on a roller coaster to show the lessons of living for the moment and enjoying life.
One of the recurring themes that is seen throughout the movie is Bullock’s character slowly being reborn as she loses her child and learns how to let go of the past and stand on her own two feet.
For instance, at the start of the film, Stone is in her spacesuit tethered to Kowalski as they cling for survival after disaster strikes their repair mission. With nobody else to rely on, they must make the choice to cut their bonds in order for one of them to survive. The suit itself also acts a womb; Stone must shed her past in order to escape after she finds the renewed will and strength to do so.
Another element that recurs throughout the film is the sheer silence of the soundtrack itself. Aside from the characters speaking themselves or in certain interior shots before the end of the film, the only noise heard is muffled sounds that the characters make as the vacuum of space drowns them out. This cleverly adds to the realism of the film and helps reiterate the idea of being helpless in the coldness of space.
These themes of silence, survival and rebirth come together and act as a catalyst to viewers, inspiring them to live for the moment and overcome the challenges of grief and self-doubt. Should you live for the moment and go see this movie? Why not? Because as the last line of the film says, “Either way, it will be one hell of ride.”
