Rating of
4/4
Claustrophobia, Isolation, and Amputation
Jeremy - wrote on 01/20/11
(Warning: Some Spoilers)
I went to see 127 Hours based on the fact that I have a great respect for Danny Boyles directing as well as Franco's acting. What I found was rather incredible to me. First of all, I have an immense level of respect for movies and directors who immediately challenge themselves through the difficult concept that films like this approach (in this case, a man trapped in one place for the majority of the movie's runtime). I was even more so impressed by how it was handled. Every moment of the film was wrought with the internal tension and claustrophobia that filled Franco's character, Aron Ralston. There was not a moment in the film where you could not feel his pain and conflict. While drifting into his unconscious mind, we are also forced to recognize the fault that lies almost entirely upon Ralston for not allowing himself to connect with his family and the people who cared about him most. By the end, we are hit with the powerful epiphany that life is worthless without the love of others just as Ralston realizes he must free himself from his own ways by symbolically (and literally) removing an old and now worthless part of himself (yeah... his arm... with a knife). Every ounce of emotion, atmosphere, and struggle is handled with the utmost care through the astonishing cinematography and direction by Boyle and crew. Apologies for being so long winded.
