Stowaway
A moral dilemma beats at the heart of a tense story of survival set in outer space.
In space no one can hear you deliberate: Shamier Anderson, Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim and Toni Collette
For Zoe Levenson (Anna Kendrick), her contribution to this mission to Mars was “one of those rare opportunities that could truly give my life meaning beyond anything I could imagine.” It is these words that sum up the moral core of Joe Penna’s drama, a homage to those who have given their lives to making the world a better place by leaving it. It was George Bush Sr who said that the Apollo programme was "the best return on investment since Leonardo da Vinci bought himself a sketchpad." Today, some estimates claim that for every dollar spent on space development, humankind has benefitted by a return of $40. For those queasy at the thought of the $2.7bn invested in the current mission to Mars, these figures may appease them a tad. It will be interesting to see what Tim Peake makes of the scientific accuracy of Stowaway, one of the more serious and grown-up explorations of space travel that we have seen for a while. And, being such a nuanced, intimate work, it joins that rare rank of sci-fi film such as Silent Running, Moon, Solaris and Gravity.
It’s a three-astronaut, two-year mission to the Red Planet, commanded by the Australian Marina Barnett (Toni Collette), along with the biologist David Kim (Daniel Dae Kim) and Zoe, a medical researcher. These are three pioneers who are determined to make a difference, being a trio of smart, caring and highly qualified individuals, two of whom are women. Boy, have we come a long way since Flash Gordon. Of course, the title is bit of a giveaway and the premise does stretch credibility a tad, although the focal incident is explained away with much scientific elucidation. But how can a three-astronaut mission – in a ship originally rigged up for two – accommodate a fourth passenger? It would be best to leave it there. A better title might have been Oxygen, although another Netflix thriller – opening next month – has already nabbed that moniker.
While dubbed a ‘thriller’ by the film’s publicity, ‘drama’ would seem to be more fitting a description. Then, which space flick is not without drama? Penna’s picture certainly has its share of suspense, but only because he has armed himself with actors of the calibre of Toni Collette and Anna Kendrick. Were it not for some interstellar activity, Stowaway could actually make a terrific play, a tense, meditative piece exploring the human condition. But without going all Solaris on us, it retains a level of authenticity that keeps us invested in the characters, even if much of the jargon floats over our heads. Whether or not it is remotely authentic, it feels real enough. And Joe Penna – the Brazilian guitarist and filmmaker who previously directly the equally pared-down thriller Arctic (2018), with Mads Mikkelsen – brings an almost hypnotic command to his scenes. It only falters at the final stretch, when the film ends abruptly, yet with so much more to say. It’s a testament to Penna’s storytelling skills that the previous 107 minutes – prior to the closing credits – feel so much shorter.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson, Toni Collette.
Dir Joe Penna, Pro Ulrich Schwarz, Nick Spicer and Aram Tertzakian, Ex Pro Anna Kendrick and Joe Penna, Screenplay Joe Penna and Ryan Morrison, Ph Klemens Becker, Pro Des Marco Bittner Rosser, Ed Ryan Morrison, Music Volker Bertelmann, Sound Jan Petzold.
Augenschein Filmproduktion/Rise Pictures/XYZ Films/Rainmaker Films/Yale Productions/Black Canopy Films/MMC Movies/Phiphen Pictures-Netflix.
117 mins. USA/Germany. 2021. Rel: 22 April 2021. Available on Netflix. Cert. 12.
