By: debbie lynn elias
A “Must See” for all Los Angeles 2013 Film Fest goers, and one that I know all my fellow NASA space tweeps will embrace, is EUROPA REPORT. Written by Philip Gelatt and directed by Sebastian Cordero, EUROPA REPORT takes the science that we know and have hard evidence of and bump it up tenfold creating an intriguing and tension-filled journey of discovery. Not only using imagery from NASA, JPL and SpaceX, Cordero consulted with the best and the brightest of each group to insure that the science and technology in the film are as accurate as possible.
Forget about putting a man on Mars, how about putting a team on Jupiter’s moon of Europa? We know there is evidence of water under the frozen crust of the moon which means the possibility of life. Impatient and wanting to get a jump on any discovery of life in the universe beyond Earth, a privately funded expedition comprised of a small, diverse, international crew sets out on the multi-year mission heading for Europa. With a multiplicity of cameras throughout their orbiter, as well as multiple exterior mounts, live feeds are transmitted 24/7 back to the science team on Earth. But what happens when the feed stops and all communication ceases? Is the mission – and the crew – dead?
With characters that are fully realized on the page, the ensemble performances elevate each to resonating three-dimensional levels that propel the story with emotion and humanity. Calling on the talents of Michael Nyquist, Daniel Wu, Karolina Wydra and others as the astronauts with Dan Fogler and Embeth Davidtz leading the team on Earth, there’s not a weak link in the bunch. The cast is truly symbiotic, much like an actual space station crew.
Using a “found footage” format with faux documentary styling, Cordero captivates, delivering science fiction at its purest and most unfettered achieving a perfect blend of science fact with realistic fiction. And thankfully, this “found footage” is not the herky-jerky “Blair Witch” type. No surprise here at the breathtaking beauty and excellence of the cinematography with Enrique Chediak at the helm. Steely bluish denatured interiors of the orbiter captured with a claustrophobic almost fish-eye lensing showcase and celebrate the geometric interior design of the orbiter while exteriors of space will have you gasping at the heart-stopping beauty of the universe. Perfectly executed, camera work and editing keeps the audience as gravityless as the orbiter crew.
Bear McCreary’s score keeps a constant pulsating heartbeat going as if we were in Mission Control listening to medical monitors.
Raising fascinating existential questions about man and where one draws the line in the stars – When and if do we stop searching and discovering? Is the life of one man or a crew worth the price of knowledge? – EUROPA REPORT will have you thinking about the stars and beyond and the heroes that lead the charge.
Embrace space exploration and the best of mankind with EUROPA REPORT.
Directed by Sebastian Cordero
Written by Philip Gelatt
Cast: Embeth Davidtz, Michael Nyqvist, Christian Camargo, Daniel Wu, Karolina Wydra
