127 Hours
Screening at Te Puke Capitol Cinema
Directed: Danny Boyle
Starring: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara.

We all know the story. Rock-climber Aron Ralston gets stuck down a crevasse, pinned by a boulder, and decides he would rather lose a limb then die down there. I'll be brutally honest here, there were several things putting me off going to see this film.

1) I already know what is going to happen. It is everywhere. Why would I go see a film when I know the ending?

2) It is just one guy and a canyon for nearly two hours.

3) WHY would I want to see someone cutting off their own arm?

As I head along with this deep scepticism in my mind, I couldn't help but think I was going to be the only person who didn't like a critically acclaimed success (re: No Country for Old Men). BUT, I was really surprised. Although it took me a while to warm to the idea that this movie could be excellent as everybody says, full kudos has to go to Danny Boyle and James Franco for bringing this gritty experience up close and personal.

What I really liked about the film was that there was a lot of emphasis on sight and sound. Sounds silly, but Boyle really does take you inside Aron's hallucinations and his five day experience as he waits and contemplates on his life, his mistakes and tries to make sense of why this happened to him. (‘This rock was waiting for me.')

The hyper-sensitive sounds and over-exposure of the light adds something to the texture of the film. Without giving too much away, in a particular scene, Aron hallucinates an escape that you know isn't real. I myself have had that experience of dreaming something only to wake up and realise it hasn't happened yet. The visual element is incredibly cerebral, opening his mind and his suffering to make it more accessible to the viewer.

James Franco – wow. He just keeps rising as a great actor of this generation. Turning a blind eye to his role in the ‘Spiderman' series, he keeps throwing himself into physically demanding and emotional roles. He actually spent days filming in this tiny space, and apparently took text books to stop himself from also going insane with claustrophobia. He is a truly powerful actor, capturing the essence of Aron in real life and taking us with him into the crevasse and into his memories.

The clincher scene? The amputation. I will confess, I saw two parts of the five minute scene and that was enough. Yes, my male flatmate called me a wimp, but that's okay because I really didn't want the image of him hacking (and I mean hacking, it's a small knife after all) through his arm. And it really does open up a debate which my flatmate and I partook in – could you do what Aron did? I personally don't think I could, and that is what makes this story. The will to survive, the lengths he goes to keep sane, alive and escape.

A slow starter, but after all, a truly powerful film. Some have called it inspiring, I call it an experience. It is a remarkable and brave thing that Aron did to escape from that situation, and I think it is a story that needs to be shared and experienced for yourself.