127 Hours

A man and his desire to survive the worst of hopeless situation in life sums up the story of 127 Hours. The film is based on the real-life adventure of Aaron Ralston, as documented in the book “Between A Rock And A Hard Place”. The extreme biker and climber met with a freak accident in 2003 when his hand got trapped under a boulder during a climbing expedition in Utah. The mountaineer spent five grueling days all by himself in this life-threatening situation before he could extricate himself and reach out for help.

This simple plot has been woven into a compelling movie by Danny Boyle and A.R.Rahman’s haunting tune(I felt some of the tracks were used in Raavan as well) adds to the pulsating drama. Most of the movie you would stare at close up shots of James Franco who brings out the emotions of a man trapped between life and death. It’s a tough movie to sit through specially the last 15 minutes yet in the end one feels the compelling urge to celebrate life.

I won’t be surprised if James Franco wins the Best Actor award in Oscars this year. Off course I have not yet seen the Social Network but so far his performance has stood out among the movies I saw last year. The best part of the movie is the way Aaron’s inner feelings and fears are portrayed through the various pieces of memories in his mind. And how is premonition of his future gives him the strength to cut his own hand in order to survive. This movie is a classic lesson of ‘mind over matter’. It shows how hope and desire to live overcomes physical challenges. Unless you are faint hearted do watch this movie.