Stowaway

New on Netflix.

You know sometimes you watch a film that everyone loves and you hate or, of course, the opposite? Stowaway directed by Joe Penna and written by Penna alongside Ryan Morrison, maybe such a film.

Set in a near future a three person crew are setting off on a two year mission to Mars. Under the command of Marian Barnett (Toni Collette) are Doctor Zoe Levinson (Anna Kendrick) and scientist David Kim (Daniel Dae Kim). Just 12 hours into their mission they realise they are not alone when they discover a stowaway, Michael (Shamier Anderson). This presents the crew with the ultimate dilemma as they realise that the ship can only support three of its inhabitants for the entirety of the mission.

There is no doubt this film has its problems, the story is a little ridiculous and the plot holes plentiful, but that aside, what is in here is a patient well thought out study of how people react when faced with the greatest of ethical challenges under the most extreme of conditions.

Penna makes some smart directorial decisions as well. The slow pace is used well to drive the tension and, let’s face it because we’ve seen this story before, feeling of foreboding. Also keeping the conversation with the ground crew something we never hear pays off in building the feeling of isolation and distance. Although the pacing can be challenging at times, especially the distinct lack of action as their borrowed time runs down, let’s just say they are no Apollo 13 crew!

Performances are solid and I’ve been keen to see Anna Kendrick in a more dramatic role and she delivers well. Toni Collete is as reliable as ever with Daniel Dae Kim playing the difficult role of the one who is happy to make the hard decision. Anderson also brings a quiet calm to the role of the unfortunate interloper.

The film is beautifully shot, giving that feeling of scale, intimacy and isolation even on the small screen.

Stowaway has certainly been met with mixed reviews, but in my opinion it depends on whether you are prepared to suspend your disbelief and ignore the plot holes. If you can you’ll be rewarded with an enjoyable, tense, thoughtful, if a little predictable, space drama.