Sandra Bullock stars as Dr. Ryan Stone, an engineer working in space, in this sci-fi thriller directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The intense filming process involved Bullock spending hours every day in isolation, much like her character does in the film. When their space shuttle is hit by flying debris, Stone and her commander Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) are sent flying through space.
The only two survivors, they must come up with a way to get in touch with Mission Control and return to Earth. While isolated in space, Stone ponders the things that make a person human, and what she has left that ties her to her own humanity. In this way, much of the film is intimate, though it is punctuated with intense action sequences and gorgeous shots of Earth as it orbits just out of Stone’s reach.
The film won numerous awards for its sound, editing, visual effects, and cinematography, including an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Isolating as it is, the story is delivered in such a way that viewers can identify with Stone and her journey from the comfort of their homes.
