Many connections can be drawn between Moon and the the films we have viewed previously in this class. Whether these connections are based on inspiration, homage, or indirect influence is truly only known by Duncan Jones and perhaps Nathan Parker, the screenwriter. But regardless, Moon is clearly tied to the canon of sci-fi cinema in numerous ways. It provides a realistic and arguably pessimistic view of the future just as Things To Come did. The false promise of the "rescue squad" and the overriding influence of a ruling body (public or private) feel closely tied to Brazil and 1984, which inspired it. The dynamic between the clones feels similar to the dynamic between different versions of single characters in Primer, although in Moon the second version of Sam gives us an idea of how bitter and angry Sam was when he first arrived (his wife says "we needed some time apart" or something of the like), thereby hinting at a gradual weakening into the gentle and tired version we first see, whereas in Primer the second version is a glimpse into the future, where the protagonist has become wiser. At the very end of Moon, the snippets of radio banter about Sam's arrival on earth hearken back to the public unrest in The Day The Earth Stood Still about the "space man" on the loose. Above all of these connections, Moon seems vitally inspired by 2001: A Space Oddessey. From the interior design of the space station, to the overall feeling of stillness and isolation in Sam's life, to Gerdy's uncanny likeness to Hal, Moon in many ways is 2001: A Space Oddessey, with alterations. The overall conversation seems to be the same: "what makes us human?" In 2001, the humans have lost all humanity and their creations are on the verge of taking control. In Moon, Sam is not especially inhuman (he is quite human actually), but we find out that he is being used as somewhat of a machine. Inhumanity is forced upon him, rather than being the result of a natural progression (as in 2001). Gerdy, like Hal, feels suspiciously human. In fact, for the first half of Moon, Gerdy feels rather like a cheap rip-off of Hal, bringing nothing new to the table. But by the end of the movie the difference becomes clear. Gerdy has no mal-intent and only wishes to help. He lacks the omnipresence of Hal, and his destructive power. The smiley face on his screen becomes an honest one, not ironic or sinister in the least. Like Hal, Gerdy feels human. But unlike Hal, Gerdy feels human in the best of ways. In the end of Moon, Sam says to Gerdy, "Gerty, we're not programmed. We're people, do you understand?" Through his apparent free-will and detachment from blind logic, Gerty has earned his humanity, just as Sam has won his humanity back from the forces wishing to turn him into a machine of labor. In 2001, Dave defeats Hal, leaving open the question of whether machines can achieve humanity. Moon asserts that a machine can indeed achieve that level of redemption, by having a conscience. Gerty becomes less like the quasi-human Hal, and more like the very human Rachel from Blade Runner, only in a sad, clunky body.
A sad clunky body? Awwww. That's MEAN!
ReplyDeleteYes, I also came to appreciate Gerty, emodicons, haircutting Flowbee attachement, and all, by the end. Let me ask you, as a clone is Sam closer to Gerty than a non-cloned human? This is a novel way of approaching the clone question that so many sci-fi movies seem to obsess over (and rightly so, as it is only a matter of time). Where do we draw the line between non-human worker bee, and too human to be a worker bee?