Shadows on the Wall

Stowaway

dir Joe Penna
scr Joe Penna, Ryan Morrison
prd Aram Tertzakian, Nick Spicer, Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo, Ulrich Schwarz, Clay Pecorin
with Toni Collette, Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson
release US/UK 22.Apr.21
21/US 1h56

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There's a remarkably internalised tone to this sci-fi drama, as filmmaker Joe Penna deploys the usual genre elements while maintaining a strong character focus, including both interpersonal comedy and darker emotions. As with Arctic, Penna contains an outlandish story with a limited cast and settings, helping us identify with everything that happens. The film is overlong, and the plotting too deliberate, but scenes are beautiful both visually and thematically.

As they blast off on a two-year research mission to Mars, commander Marina (Collette) notices that the rocket is slightly underperforming, but she and her crew, Zoe and David (Kendrick and Kim), are cleared to continue. Not long into the journey, Marina discovers an unconscious man accidentally trapped behind a panel. He turns out to be launchpad engineer Michael (Anderson), and he's understandably freaked out by his predicament. Not wanting to be dead weight, the crew finds him work to do. But with damage to a life support system, the mission now faces a crisis.

The film is superbly shot with wide-screen camerawork in cluttered, claustrophobic sets interlinked by low-ceilinged tunnels. It's designed more like a present-day spacecraft than something sleek and futuristic, while the effects work adds several cool touches, including how the the ship's slingshot propulsion provides artificial gravity. And it's also clever that we don't hear the voices at the other end of radio conversations with mission control. These kinds of things offer authenticity that pulls us into the deeper human drama that develops.

Interaction between the characters is superbly played with an offhanded realism that reveals both professional experience and personal relationships. Each character faces the situation in his or her own way, mixing their feelings with their understanding of the facts. Collette plays Marina as a compassionate leader who isn't afraid to make a tough decision. And Kim offers some earthy undercurrents as a man facing the loss of his life's work. With their more emotive roles, Kendrick and Anderson are able to find some stronger resonance in their performances.

Augmented by the realistic tech, the moral dilemma at the centre of the plot is gripping, exploring issues of empathy and guilt, plus the things we weigh up when considering the value of a human life. A strikingly staged extended spacewalk sequence in the second half provides some action, but even that is nicely muted and understated. On the other hand, it brings some predictable, carefully staged suspense that feels like it's dragging out the running time. So while the ending is thoughtful and moving, it's also somewhat deflating.

themes, language, violence 22.Apr.21

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