Onboard a Spaceship, Tough Decisions Must Be Made

From left: Shamier Anderson, Anna Kendrick,
Daniel Dae Kim, and Toni Collette in "Stowaway"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Two years ago, director Joe Penna made his directorial debut with the survival film, “Arctic,” proving himself to be someone who would surely become an exciting new voice in film.  He now returns with a bigger scale for the sci-fi film, “Stowaway,” a tense and well-acted thriller with an engaging moral issue.

Aboard a spacecraft, medical researcher Zoe Levenson (Anna Kendrick), biologist David Kim (Daniel Dae Kim), and their commander, Marina Barnett (Toni Collette), are set for a two-year mission to Mars.  Not long into their travels, they find an unconscious engineer named Michael Adams (Shamier Anderson).  Soon after he awakens, the rest of the crew realizes that they only have enough oxygen for three people, leaving them to figure out who will survive.

All four cast members provide terrific work in exhibiting the emotional stress that comes with their unthinkable scenario.  The cast shares a poignant bond as they try to keep things civil, while also clashing over what they believe is the right course of action.  However, the standout among the ensemble is Kendrick.  While she’s done dramatic roles in the past, most of her filmography up until now has been comedic roles, tending to overshadow the former.  So, to see her take on a part like this that has her character face such a challenge for survival allows you to see a side to her acting that’s just as strong as her comedic side.  As Penna exemplified with “Arctic,” which just had two characters, he has an ability to depict stories of a small-cast against big-scale environments.

The screenplay by Penna and his “Arctic” cowriter Ryan Morrison provides the cast with enough of an opportunity to express their concerns over the dilemma with which their faced.  Before that, we’re given some time to see Kendrick, Kim, and Collette interact and get to know their personalities as they begin their journey, and then see them switch to something more somber as they try to weigh their options after the discovery of their unexpected passenger.  Once Anderson becomes part of the group, this adds a new layer the team dynamic as he tries to do his share of the work, but remains uncertain about what will happen to him.  Despite the rather flimsy nature of the setup involving Anderson’s character, it’s easy to brush it off as just a way to transition us to the dilemma at the heart of the movie. 

Right from the beginning, Penna shows you that he’s going to bring you on a tense journey, starting the film with a long take inside the space shuttle as it takes off, putting you on edge with the ricketiness that the crew feels as they leave Earth.  The cinematography from Klemens Becker uses several long takes throughout the film, particularly when it comes to us traveling around the ship and letting us become familiar with the interior.  As for Penna, he delivers apprehension throughout, keeping us wondering about the choices that the characters will make.  It’s a careful buildup that leads to a climactic third act that will make your palms sweat with the daunting visuals and the way that those images frame the characters against the vast backdrop of space.  While experiencing this segment, you can’t help but think how nerve-racking it would be to watch it in a movie theater, but it’s a sequence that still works fine on your television screen. 

With Penna having gone from the Arctic Circle to space, we see a filmmaker who can create a sense of scope for different, expansive frontiers, and whatever he does next, I’m sure we’ll see that vision again.

Grade: A-