Interstellar - a story beyond space and time

While I realise what I am about to say is going to make me sound like a psychopath, I am compelled to say it nonetheless. In all honesty, I don't feel real emotions very often; most things in life leave me unaffected and indifferent. It is very rare that I've ever felt truly sad or lonely in my life. (A necessary therapeutic discursion for the point I'm about to make)

One of the few times was when I watched the scene from Interstellar where the protagonist, Joseph Cooper, returns to the spacecraft, Endurance, to realise that his children had aged two decades on Earth in a span of a few hours for him on an exoplanet (that's Relativity, folks). I watched the movie very recently, and sitting alone, watching this helpless father breakdown, in the midst of desolate space was too much to take. A work of fiction it may have been, but to me, it was completely real.

That's the point of films by Cristopher Nolan. More often than not, they are immersive to the extent that once you begin watching it, your eyes remain glued to the screen, your breath remains waiting for the next beat to exhale, your nerves remain potent for the next point of action, and your mind remains in the process of careful contemplation of the ideas that the narrative discusses.

Murphy's Law - the second most accurate description of my life

From the metaphysical, to the psychoanalytical, the nature of reality, the duality of man, and in this case, scientific venture, Nolan can generalise intellectual travesties for any and all audiences and yet not trivialise them that they lose their intrinsic value and amazement.

Intuitively, we all realise and understand what Nolan is showing us because he doesn't do this through complicated means. With giving us real characters and building real relationships throughout the film with a plethora of characters, the director sets up the backdrop for the theme of family and sacrifice he is going to explore.

He also sets out to establish multiple layers of interpersonal dynamic between characters and showcase their evolution over time to make the story all the more significant in a literary context. For example, the relationship between TARS, an artificially intelligent robotic companion, and Cooper throughout the film take multiple moulds from that of distrust and respect at the beginning, to accepting the objective at hand and a genuine friendship after spending time in the desolate cosmos.

The music and soundtrack in general also play a huge factor in contributing to the significance of each and every scene. Hans Zimmer is very obviously a genius beyond all compare and Nolan manages to supplement these content and theme heavy scenes with musical interludes and pieces filled with emotions of despair and hope simultaneously.

However you might be thinking - why did I feel sad? Why is Interstellar a story beyond space and time? Why is Cristopher Nolan a genius? Forget the cinematic techniques and all the symbolism and stunning imagery that he creates. The answer to all these questions lies at the heart of the narrative. The concept of empathy that Nolan is trying to get at is one that is deeply rooted within humanity's sense of self gain.

Nolan manages to use a tale of science fiction to make us as an audience realise something so fundamental about ourselves as people. We go on all our lives thinking our decisions matter and are relevant and should only be made with our best interests in mind. But the pain we share is united. The hope we share is united. We must live not for ourselves but each other. A man sacrificing every last chance of seeing his children again and being happy for the good of humanity may be fiction, but the idea that it stems from is more real, now than ever.

When you think of the world Interstellar shows, you feel a certain dread of foreshadowing - a hopeless reality of a soon to be starving civilisation of the brink of death or arguably worse, loss of hope. Although seemingly far fetched, the idea doesn't seem too preposterous given all that the problems we choose to live in ignorance of.

At this very moment, we face an insurmountable problem that we cannot hope to encounter with ease. The ideas Nolan managed to induce then are just as important now. So let's take a lesson from them and use this extraordinary film as a reminder of what we have at stake.

Tesseract

If I may now quote Dylan Thomas's famous poem, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night (a major plot point in the movie, and fitting for the occasion) -

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light

P.S - I know this isn't really a review. But it is my blog so I think I can excuse it.