Not a film shown by the Penwith Film Society but one that I have seen recently and really wanted to write about. Let me begin by saying that I am not a fan of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and seem to be in a minority in thinking it was undeserving of all the attention it received. On the other hand I am a fan of ‘Shallow Grave’ and ‘Trainspotting’ and even ‘The Beach’. So I was somewhat reluctant to watch the latest offering from Mr Boyle but the story sounded interesting and like many I was intrigued to see how Boyle had created an interesting film about one man trapped in one place. ‘127 hours’ is Boyle back on form. Stylistically the film harks back to Trainspotting, with one particular scene, where Aron Ralston interviews himself with the help of his video camera, reminiscent of Renton’s cold turkey scene in ‘Trainspotting’ with a Dale Winton quiz show. The hallucinations that Ralston experiences are also reminiscent of Renton’s toilet diving scene in ‘Trainspotting’ and so I began to see Boyle the auteur again.
The opening titles to the film have a frenetic energy , with the use of split screens and extreme close ups immediately letting the viewer know that this is going to be expressive filmmaking. Music is integral in establishing the fast paced lifestyle of Aron Ralston and creating a juxtaposition with the later scenes in which time slowly ticks away in the crevasse. Water becomes a recurring motif in the film, which conveys the extreme dehydration the protagonist endures, and technology, a video camera, is cleverly used to show Aron coming to terms with himself and his imminent fate. Knowing, as most people will, how the true story ends did not affect my viewing experience and I was surprised at how quickly the grisly scene was over. Sound is the most effective and powerful element within this scene and it is difficult viewing but Boyle resists the temptation to go all out gore fest.
James Franco is charismatic and charming as the lead and predominantly only character within the film and has the ability to show sincerity and fragility within a both physically and mentally strong person. ‘127 Hours’ has restored my faith in Boyle as an interesting British director who will hopefully never return to the slums.
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