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| Image Courtesy of Inverse |
Science fiction has a
special way of laying bare the human experience. We have always struggled with
certain base impulses that prevent us from working together for a common good.
Successful science fiction understands that the space ships and laser guns are
second to the human experiences that ground the story, and create a link to the
problems that we have always faced in the past, and will face in the future. Prospect,
new on Netflix as of this week, is one of those science fiction stories that
takes the human element seriously, and creates a really fascinating and
grounded science fiction world.
Written and directed by
Christopher Caldwell and Zeek Earl, this film was released in 2018, and is
based on a 2014 short film of the same name and directors. The story features
Damon (Jay Duplass) and his daughter Cee (Sophie Thatcher), as they travel to a
remote alien moon with the coordinates for a large cache of gems ripe for the
picking in the middle of a dense jungle. Cee and Damon quickly discover that
they are not the only ones on this moon trying to strike it rich. Ezra (Pedro
Pascal) and Number 2 (Luke Pitzrick) are also searching for the treasure. They strike
a deal in which they will share the treasure, on the condition that Ezra and
Number 2 will give them a ride off world. The tentative alliance leads to
adventures across this moon as they seek out the hidden gems.
One of the first aspects
that struck me about this movie was how gorgeous it was. Damon and Cee land in
a jungle full of towering trees above, and strange foliage under foot. The
planet they are orbiting is often visible in the sky, setting up some gorgeous
shots of a massive world just above them. Space in science fiction will always
be fertile ground for visually striking imagery, and this movie understands
that very well.
This film is in large
part a coming of age story for Cee. She is forced to recon with her father’s
shortcomings while working towards a common goal. His greed and fixation on the
gems put her in direct danger. She is trapped in a drop pod with him for months
at a time while travelling and witnesses him using numerous substances to deal
with the stress associated with their line of work. They have gone on hundreds
of adventures together through the known universe, harvesting a variety of
resources. Damon only supports Cee’s interests as far as they concern the
mission at hand and tries to push her to learn skills more central to their job.
The father-daughter aspects are well developed, and give the feeling of a complex,
long standing relationship, of which we are privileged only a glimpse.
The moon they are on contributes
both to the broader world building, and to the threat that surrounds them. The
air is unbreathable, filled with some toxin that will kill you if you are
exposed to it in any way. The characters do not always have the tools or preparation
to deal with everything the planet throws at them, creating a sense of danger
from the environment as well as the other sentient life on the planet.
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| Image Courtesy of Movie Nation |
The dialogue is also
written in such a way to emphasize the many moments of negotiation throughout
the film. It is clear from the beginning that it is extremely difficult to
survive and prosper on this planet with a group, and nearly impossible to do it
alone. The main need to negotiate with the natives of the planet, as well as
their team members, to have a successful expedition. This plays into one of the films main themes:
that humans are cooperative creatures who survive best when we work together.
In the absence of trust between the characters, they are always working with or
against each other for their own goals. The film makes it clear that the ones
that find it easiest to trust others thrive, and the characters who operate on
secret motives are the ones who find it hard to survive.
This movie is also about
greed. All the characters are traveling through space trying to get rich, which
generates much of the mistrust and ulterior motives. Damon is driven by greed
to keep going on the mission, even when he has enough gems to pay his debts, because
his greed won’t allow him to stop. This movie understands that there are desires
central to the human experience, and that greed is one of them. Although I am
very glad that it is set in space, this is a story told time and time again throughout
our history. This connection to a base human desire makes the movie feel rooted
in experience rather than a speculative future, which again is the work of successful
sci-fi.
-Patrick Bernas
