127 Hours

It is impossible to not be in absolute awe of Danny Boyle’s versatility as a director. Whereas most stick to a genre they know best, he seems to effortlessly bounce from one to the next, always with a large degree of success- from the hard hitting crime drama of Trainspotting, to the devastating science fiction of 28 Days Later and Sunshine. His previous film was the brilliant Slumdog Millionaire, which won eight Oscars, including a Best Director award for Boyle, and naturally that success demands a greater attention and focus on his subsequent works.

So when you hear that 127 Hours is about the thrill seeking Aron Ralston (James Franco) who gets trapped under a boulder and has to decide whether or not to live or die in a canyon, you can’t help but feel a little sceptical about the potential for both personal and box office success.

After all, the film has only one character of note. Having no one to interact with for much of the hour and half runtime goes against the very fibre of cinematic convention, not to mention that there is no physical movement of the character- he is trapped, stuck in a hole. And there’s not even scope for a hero to turn up and save the day at the last minute, as the film is based on “Between a Rock and a Hard Place”, the true life recounting of the event by the real life Aron Ralston.

With the focus entirely on Franco, his performance is imperative to the success of the film. Acting aside, at the very least he looks the part- his rugged, messy exterior fitting his characters love of the outdoors lifestyle perfectly. On top of this, Franco is a likeable person. On screen he appears good fun, only interested in enjoying life and getting as much out of it as he possibly can. He has a rare allure that compels you to watch him, something which has eluded him in previous roles.

More than this though, his performance is simply outstanding. Portraying a vast range of emotion from his usual jovial carefree manner to his journey through what is basically the seven stages of grief and everything that comes with that. He appears genuine, believable, honest, and it is easy to imagine everything that the real life Ralston went through as he plotted his survival. At the very least this is Oscar nomination stuff, every bit the intricate character study that so nearly earned Mickey Rourke the award for his lead role in The Wrestler, and perhaps this has even more potential.

The development and evolution of the aforementioned emotions are cleverly shown through the use of a video camera, one of Ralston’s “essentials” for the journey. As he plays back his recording for sheer entertainment as he remains trapped, it allows a very intimate and detailed account of the character. Beginning with his encounter with two random women Kristi (Kate Mara) and Megan (Amber Tamblyn), to whom he offers his services as a guide- it then springboards to a documentation of his survival. How much water is left, how little food he has, his failing bodily functions and even minor details such as the time of sunrise and how much sunlight he receives; all of which pale in comparison to his heartfelt messages intended for his family and friends, should the camera ever be found. Not to mention providing a platform for a fantastic comedy scene to keep the mood buoyant even as the realisation of his mortality is upon him.

This kind of positive manner in which Ralston goes about his duties allows for a great sense of hope from start to finish, a theme which Boyle is more than familiar with. Regardless of how desperate things seem, our hero clings on to whatever hope he can muster. Maybe he’ll be found, rescued, maybe there’ll be rainfall from which the boulder may erode, maybe he will move it himself using the series of ropes that he has, or maybe he will chip away at it enough to free himself. It doesn’t matter how unlikely these outcomes are- the basic instinct of survival is shown, water and food are conserved, and the priority is remaining alive long enough for any kind of intervention.

Naturally enough the tale is also one of incredible irony, which perhaps contributes to the light-heartedness of the overall piece. Ralston didn’t bother to tell anyone where he was going, not even his mother as he evades her phone call before he leaves. He also did not bring all of his food and drink with him on his journey, leaving a tasty bottle of Gatorade along with some oranges in the back of his truck. He even couldn’t find his Swiss army knife- he may well have if he bothered to look properly. Even down to the fact that he leaves the tap dripping as he exits his home, when in three short days a drop of water would be the equivalent of a winning lotto ticket to his ailing body.

Most of these details can be accredited to the real life Ralston, and his own adventure. In terms of the actual story there is not much scope to play around with it, given that it has already happened and has been recounted. This limits Boyle’s job to a certain extent, leaving him with the difficult task of how to build on the plight of our protagonist.

One of the most effective methods of enhancing the situation comes through the contrasting images of freedom and captivity which run throughout. This is noticeable from the very opening sequence (and indeed the closing, providing a nice frame to the piece), which shows a montage of various groups of people going about their daily business in the company of many others. It is fair to say that unless you specifically seek a hermit existence it is impossible to be “alone” in your day to day travels, an obvious contrast to Ralston’s situation. This is further built on throughout the film, insects, birds, even the hallucination of a series of jets passing overhead- all enhance Ralston’s isolation.

It is also hard not to notice the accompanying soundtrack, particularly as Boyle’s previous film was so heavily lauded for its achievement in sound- winning Oscars for Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Achievement in Sound, as well as receiving nominations for a second Best Original Song and Sound Editing. And once more we are subjected to a fascinating blend of both music and sound engineering- the latter particularly during the crucial scene in which Ralston attempts to earn his freedom.

It is hard to ignore the musical choice, as from the very first scene we are subjected to a hard hitting piece entitled Never Hear Surf Music Again by a band called Free Blood, again emphasising the togetherness of common society. Aside from the hilarious inclusion of the Scooby Doo theme tune, and the classic Bill Withers song Lovely Day, A.R. Rahman again collaborates with Boyle to compose a series of pieces which reflect the tone of the film masterfully- not to mention the immense finale in conjunction with Dido, If I Rise. It is yet one more aspect that the director has tuned to perfection.

It is not all fun and games, as you could imagine. Being trapped in a canyon for 127 very long, thirsty hours is not anyone’s idea of a good weekend. Not to mention one very difficult to watch scene as the film nears the conclusion. However, for a film that could easily be so difficult and harrowing to watch it is surprisingly upbeat, funny and overall one of the most uplifting films you are likely to see, and this is surely the greatest achievement of an outstanding piece of filmmaking. Danny Boyle has done it again.

Rating:

5/5