Discription
127 Hours (2010)
Summary:
127 Hours is a biographical survival drama based on the true story of canyoneer Aron Ralston, who became trapped by a boulder in an isolated slot canyon in Bluejohn Canyon, Utah, in April 2003. The film chronicles the agonizing five days (127 hours) of his solitary confinement as he rations his meager supplies, desperately attempts to free his crushed arm, and confronts his past in a series of vivid hallucinations and recollections. It is a harrowing, yet ultimately inspiring, portrayal of human resilience, the will to survive, and the extreme lengths one man went to for his life.
Plot:
The film opens by establishing Aron Ralston (James Franco) as an adventurous, energetic, and highly independent mountaineer who sets out on a solo biking and hiking trip in Utah's Canyonlands National Park without telling anyone his destination or plans. During his journey, he encounters two lost female hikers, Kristi (Kate Mara) and Megan (Amber Tamblyn), and shows them a hidden underground pool, spending a brief, fun time with them before they part ways.
Continuing alone, Aron descends into a tight, isolated slot canyon in Bluejohn Canyon. While scrambling down a narrow crevice, an 800-pound (360 kg) boulder he is using as an anchor suddenly comes loose. Aron falls, and as he lands, the boulder rolls and crashes, pinning his right arm tightly against the canyon wall.
Aron’s initial shock quickly gives way to a grim realization: he is completely alone, miles from anyone, and no one knows where he is. Over the next five days, Aron is trapped in this confined space, with only a small amount of water, a little food, a rope, and a multi-tool.
The core of the film focuses on his desperate attempts to escape and his profound psychological journey. He tries everything: chipping away at the boulder with his dull pocket knife, attempting to use his rope as a pulley system, and screaming for help to no avail. As his water runs out, he is forced to drink his own urine to stave off dehydration.
The immense physical suffering is mirrored by his mental struggle. Using his camcorder, he records a video diary, initially documenting his survival efforts, but eventually transforming them into heartfelt, tearful goodbye messages to his family. Through hallucinations and flashbacks, Danny Boyle masterfully breaks the claustrophobia of the canyon. Aron reflects on past relationships, especially with his former girlfriend Rana (Clémence Poésy), and the people he has pushed away due to his solitary nature. He realizes that his fiercely independent attitude—his failure to tell anyone where he was going—is the very thing that may cost him his life.
On the sixth day, delirious from dehydration and nearing death, Aron experiences a powerful, peaceful hallucination of his future son, which gives him a final, decisive surge of motivation to survive. He realizes that the only way to escape is to sacrifice his arm.
Aron fashioning a tourniquet and uses the dull multi-tool to first break the two bones in his forearm. The scene of the self-amputation is intensely graphic and emotionally grueling, but it is executed with a fierce, primal determination. After successfully cutting through the nerve and muscle tissue and freeing himself, a weakened, blood-soaked Aron rappels down a 65-foot cliff. He then hikes for several miles through the desert until he finally encounters a Dutch family on a hike. They give him water and alert the authorities, and a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter rescues him.
The film concludes with on-screen text and a shot of the real Aron Ralston, confirming that he survived, continues to mountain climb (with a prosthetic arm), and always leaves a note saying where he is going.
Cast:
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James Franco as Aron Ralston
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Kate Mara as Kristi Moore
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Amber Tamblyn as Megan McBride
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Clémence Poésy as Rana
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Lizzy Caplan as Sonja Ralston (Aron's sister)
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Kate Burton as Donna Ralston (Aron's mother)
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Treat Williams as Larry Ralston (Aron's father)
Crew
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Director: Danny Boyle
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Screenplay by: Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy
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Producers: Danny Boyle, Christian Colson, John Smithson
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Music by: A. R. Rahman
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Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle, Enrique Chediak
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Editor: Jon Harris
Release Date:
November 5, 2010 (United States - Limited)
