Although he won an Oscar two years ago for Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle delivered a much better film with his latest work, 127 Hours. The film chronicles five days in the life of Aron Ralston, a climber who was trapped in a canyon by a heavy boulder and only survived by amputating his own right arm. Despite the grim subject-matter, 127 Hours boasts a fair amount of energy, suiting the personality its protagonist. The opening montage captures the hectic pace of modern life well, the very lifestyle that Ralston seeks to escape by climbing.
Boyle described the film as something that could only be produced by a director who had won the Academy Award for Best Picture with his most recent work and the entire film possesses a “now or never” quality to it. The film is as much a mental ordeal as a physical one. Apparently, during the Toronto International Film Festival screening, three audience members fainted and another was stricken by a seizure during the climatic scene but nothing like this came close to occurring in a three-quarters packed theatre at the Varsity Cinemas.
127 Hours is also notable for stories regarding how hard Boyle pushed lead actor James Franco, who is on-screen for the entire ninety-four minutes of the film. The film challenges viewers to ask themselves how far they would go to save themselves. Ralston gradually undertakes more and more drastic measures, chronicling his ordeal by recording short clips on an hour-long video tape.
Another technique employed by Boyle was extreme close-ups of Franco that zoomed out to wide-angle shots that highlighted the Utah landscape. It is impossible to determine the footprint left behind by the production crew but the film gives the impression that it is simply Boyle, Franco, and a hand-held camera. Some may wish to give Franco consideration for the Best Actor Oscar but despite his best efforts, the audience understands Ralston’s travails because of the director, not the performer.
The director combines the reality of Ralston’s rocky prison with the fantasy of his hallucinations, likely brought upon by dehydration and a lack of food. The climber tries to escape using a variety of tools but eventually realizes that he must free himself if he is to survive. Having eschewed social contact (after quitting his job to focus on climbing and alienating himself from friends and family), Ralston is inspired to reconnect with others after a series of scenes both real and contrived. ***