127 Hours (2010)

I first saw 127 Hours with my older sister in its release year of 2010. Shortly put, its true story of human endeavour, following a Rock-climber on a trip to Utah’s desert Canyon, was suspenseful, gripping and ‘wicked’ to me at the naïve age of nine. But revisiting it now, the film still retains that original suspense, which I think is very tricky because of how fast editing and cameras themselves have advanced on the screens these days. I enjoyed 127 Hours, and I still enjoy it now.

The Film is about a trip in the Canyons of Utah which goes unexpectedly wrong for canyoneer Aron Ralston (James Franco), as he falls with a loose boulder which manages to trap his arm, one Saturday in April 2003. And it’s a True Story. Aron, who is trapped in the same position for 127 hours (as you may have guessed), has nothing in his arsenal apart from a cheap blunt pocket knife, a camcorder, a few climbing ropes and 300 ml of water to drink. So, while slowly dying of starvation he reflects on his past mistakes with a serious weight on fate and survival. The true story of human endeavor however, as I have described it, seems realistic and simple. But Boyle’s innovative techniques brings the story to action on another level; the film is tense and captivating the plot can be said of that alone, but the real magic is in Boyle’s techniques in this cinematic feat. This justifies the reason why the film was nominated for 6 Oscars, and Boyle was placed for 2 of those 6.

As Franco rules an amazing amount of screen-time, it’s easy to align with our protagonist right from the bat, for one. Our protagonist’s equilibrium settles on his lust for adventure, and his obliviousness to his parents – he reflects on this, later while trapped, as a failure as he has made past mistakes but for comfort and survival (from insanity) Aron clings to those most people vital in his life. As the hours pass, his need to survive becomes ever more intensifying as his resources too are running low. Aron makes a survival tape on which the action is loosely based, and the severity of his situation is realistically expressed through Franco’s performance. Aron in a delirious state manages to fade constantly between conscious reality and a dream state. Dreams where he manages to escape his Man VS Rock situation, and that’s where Boyle brings his energy of hyper-realism that he has done as carried in his films as an Auteur throughout his work. Aron later begins to use ponder on his life and those vital friends and family who he loves, giving us the backstory of Aron’s life.

But every creation has its limits, I ONLY gave this film 4 stars because I felt that sometimes I did get a little bored within the plot but this is only due to the simplicity of action, and lack of dialogue – in which there is a running commentary on most feature films.

Boyle’s quote on what he wants the message in his films to be, is validated in 127 hours. ‘ I want people to leave the cinema feeling that something’s been confirmed for them about life.’ I definitely enjoyed the film with its gripping plot and life-affirming: that true story of human endeavor and survival, and I highly recommend it.