Why it took me so long to watch this? Interstellar edition

Let’s face it. I have a beef with movies which mess with the concept of time. I am yuge fan of Nolan’s other works, you name it, Memento, Prestige, the Batman trilogy. However, I’ve been postponing his latest one, Interstellar (2014), until three days ago. What did change? I said “Fuck it, let’s watch something we might not agree with. Let’s show certain trust in the director’s choice of topic”. Did I like it in the end? Yes, but for somewhat unexpected reasons. Spoilers ahead just so you know.

For the technical part, there are people of much higher expertise than me who can commend on the scientific accuracy of the events portrayed. I will not bother with this at all, expect for one thing that gave me a chuckle at the early beginning, the binary code message. There are 10 kinds of people, the ones how know binary and the ones who don’ -love this joke. Seriously though, you can interpret a binary code with 4 combinations when it’s not explicitly written as a series of digits. You can switch the numbers, so a low pitch/ valley corresponds to either 1 or 0 and you can change the order of reading from left to right to right to left. Is it nitpicking? Yes, but it’s fun to point out, given this sort of message, there’s no unique way of reading it.

Regarding the artistic part of the movie, I appreciated it more than the logic, which as was expected from Nolan, was quite edgy and of course there was complex story-line, ample suspense, multiple surprise twists and a degree of profoundness in the screenplay. People fight about these issues all the time. On the other hand, I want to shift the conversation to the inherent merit of movie as a piece of art. No, I don’t allude to graphics, which were awesome, but I don’t prioritize them. There were three instances, apart from Hans Zimmer’s music, that made me finally perceive this movie in a positive way.

• First, Micheal Caine’s interpretative poetry reading of Dylan Thomas, Do not go gentle into that good night. Absolutely amazing. Here’s the poem:

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

• Second, the resolution scene where McConaughey was proven to be the mysterious ghost behind the bookshelf. Okay, if you take it literally, it’s almost ridiculous, but as a metaphor, I proclaim, it’s a powerful one. Why? Because just imagine, as a mental exercise, being in the very same position. What would you say to your loved ones who have been trapped  in a situation which prevents mutual understanding and communication. How would you convey your message so they would listen to you? I completely resonate with and feel strongly sympathetic towards this particular moment currently, for I am pretending to be some kind of “ghost” now. Is the last statement a bit vague? Good, it’s meant to be in line with the vagueness of movie.

• Third, the humorous, fun parts were refreshingly smart: The dialogues with the AI robot came totally hilarious, as well as definitely the fact that humanity saves Matt Damon for one more time! We’ve spend billions to rescue this guy for fawkes sake. (See Honest trailers for more satire). Example best quote:

Cooper: Hey TARS, what’s your honesty parameter?
TARS: 90 percent.
Cooper: 90 percent?
TARS: Absolute honesty isn’t always the most diplomatic nor the safest form of communication with emotional beings.
Cooper: Okay, 90 percent it is.

Overall, not a bad movie and can be exciting if viewed with an open mind and forgiveness over director’s ambitious liberty. Let’s see for what else Nolan has in store with Dunkirk next July.

Bonus image: Badass black hole/Gargantua.

Α.Δ.