This weekend I spent some of my free time watching a movie I have craved
to watch for a very long time. Even when it was first released in 2010 I wanted
to go to the cinema to see it but I unfortunately didn’t have the chance. So
finally, this weekend I bought “127 hours” and watched it for the very first
time. For a person as eagerly interested in movies as I am, this film is a
definite must-see. 127 hours is one of the best pieces of art that ever hit the
big screen in a very long time. Every second of the movie is so believable and
beautifully made without the use of any special effects. This true story of
survival, based on Aron Ralston’s biographical book “Between a Rock and a Hard
Place”, is told with such emotion, which makes it one of the most “human”
movies ever because it simply mesmerized the world by one man’s struggle to not
give up.
Some of you might be a little confused right now because they maybe have not seen or heard of the movie before. Therefore I am going to give you a detailed description of the plot so you should only continue reading if you have already seen the movie or don’t plan on seeing it anytime soon.
Aron Ralston, a canyoneer and climber, and a bit of a daredevil I might add, prepares to spend another day in Canyonland National Park in Utah. Without informing anybody about where he goes he leaves and soon starts his trip to Blue John Canyon. While in the Canyons he meets two female hikers, with whom he decides to spend a few hours until he leaves again to continue on with his trip by himself. The tragedy strikes when Aron climbs through a very small crevice and one of the boulders he held on to loosens and he falls into the Slot Canyon. Even though he is not hurt during the fall, his right arm gets trapped between this very boulder and the wall. This is the point where his heartbreaking story begins: Aron soon realizes that the boulder is too heavy for him to lift (360 kg!), especially with only one arm. After he overcomes the initial shock he soon also becomes aware of the fact that he only has 350 ml of water left and that he doesn’t have a phone to contact anybody to firstly tell them where he went and to secondly explain to them what happened. Becoming very worried, he tries to lift the stone with the climbing rope and the karabiners he brought for the trip but he soon ceases trying because he knows they won’t suffice.
Aron, who has brought a video camera for the trip, starts recording video messages for his family and friends, hoping that one day someone will find it and give it to his parents. Soon Aron also starts to chip away at the stone using his multi-tool but realizes that if he keeps on doing it the boulder will only settle more. In another desperate attempt Aron tries to break through his own skin with the knife but the multi-tool is too dull to even pierce it and therefore it will not be suitable for what he has in mind.
Now Aron’s state of health slowly starts to get worse because of extreme water deprivation and dehydration. After having consumed the 350 millimeters of water his desperation peaks and in order to survive a little longer he drinks his own urine. Soon he starts to have hallucinations about his family, his former lover and the two hikers he met the day the accident happened. In one of his hallucinations though, he sees a little boy, sitting on a couch and smiling at him. He identifies the boy as his future child and that knowledge gives him the strength to do the most difficult thing a human being can possibly do. Now, after already being trapped for almost 5 days the movie reaches its climax: Aron finally finds the strength to save his life by amputating his own arm. Knowing that he won’t be able to cut through his bones with the kind of equipment he has, he breaks both the radius and the ulna bone first. Then he creates a tourniquet to reduce the bleeding and starts cutting off his arm using a tiny knife. On May 1st, after one hour, at approximately 11:34 a.m. he is free and can finally leave his prison. Until he is finally found though he has one more challenge to face: he has to rappel down a 20 meter rock face single-handedly and hike a few kilometers until he finds a Dutch family that provides him with water and sends for help.
In the last scene you can see short clips of Aron’s life after the accident: Pictures of him hiking or canyoneering, his wife that he met 3 years after the accident and with whom he has a son called Leo. Before the closing credits appear, it says that now he always leaves a note to tell his family where he is going.
This movie is undoubtedly one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life. Danny Boyle, the director succeeded in making this movie so human, and vivid by showing how strong us humans can be. The scenes, some shot at very different angles than we’re maybe used to, as well as the camera work are incredible. You are so compelled by it all, that you practically can’t leave Blue John Canyon until Aron is able to do so as well. And the fact, that he had enough willpower to amputate his own arm will never cease to shock and astound me. I think Aron Ralston is one of the bravest people alive. His strength, his will to live and his positive attitude to enjoy life even after what happened is astonishing. Concerning the portrayal of Aron in the movie, I think the producers couldn’t have chosen any better actor than the AMAZING James Franco. He succeeded in making it look believable, and not like a cheap reproduction of what happened. He really deserved his Oscar nomination because his performance was simply breathtaking.
Well, I think there can be nothing more said now than WATCH THE MOVIE. And always keep the following in mind, which probably wraps up the whole movie: There is no force on earth more powerful than the will to live.
Some of you might be a little confused right now because they maybe have not seen or heard of the movie before. Therefore I am going to give you a detailed description of the plot so you should only continue reading if you have already seen the movie or don’t plan on seeing it anytime soon.
Aron Ralston, a canyoneer and climber, and a bit of a daredevil I might add, prepares to spend another day in Canyonland National Park in Utah. Without informing anybody about where he goes he leaves and soon starts his trip to Blue John Canyon. While in the Canyons he meets two female hikers, with whom he decides to spend a few hours until he leaves again to continue on with his trip by himself. The tragedy strikes when Aron climbs through a very small crevice and one of the boulders he held on to loosens and he falls into the Slot Canyon. Even though he is not hurt during the fall, his right arm gets trapped between this very boulder and the wall. This is the point where his heartbreaking story begins: Aron soon realizes that the boulder is too heavy for him to lift (360 kg!), especially with only one arm. After he overcomes the initial shock he soon also becomes aware of the fact that he only has 350 ml of water left and that he doesn’t have a phone to contact anybody to firstly tell them where he went and to secondly explain to them what happened. Becoming very worried, he tries to lift the stone with the climbing rope and the karabiners he brought for the trip but he soon ceases trying because he knows they won’t suffice.
Aron, who has brought a video camera for the trip, starts recording video messages for his family and friends, hoping that one day someone will find it and give it to his parents. Soon Aron also starts to chip away at the stone using his multi-tool but realizes that if he keeps on doing it the boulder will only settle more. In another desperate attempt Aron tries to break through his own skin with the knife but the multi-tool is too dull to even pierce it and therefore it will not be suitable for what he has in mind.
Now Aron’s state of health slowly starts to get worse because of extreme water deprivation and dehydration. After having consumed the 350 millimeters of water his desperation peaks and in order to survive a little longer he drinks his own urine. Soon he starts to have hallucinations about his family, his former lover and the two hikers he met the day the accident happened. In one of his hallucinations though, he sees a little boy, sitting on a couch and smiling at him. He identifies the boy as his future child and that knowledge gives him the strength to do the most difficult thing a human being can possibly do. Now, after already being trapped for almost 5 days the movie reaches its climax: Aron finally finds the strength to save his life by amputating his own arm. Knowing that he won’t be able to cut through his bones with the kind of equipment he has, he breaks both the radius and the ulna bone first. Then he creates a tourniquet to reduce the bleeding and starts cutting off his arm using a tiny knife. On May 1st, after one hour, at approximately 11:34 a.m. he is free and can finally leave his prison. Until he is finally found though he has one more challenge to face: he has to rappel down a 20 meter rock face single-handedly and hike a few kilometers until he finds a Dutch family that provides him with water and sends for help.
In the last scene you can see short clips of Aron’s life after the accident: Pictures of him hiking or canyoneering, his wife that he met 3 years after the accident and with whom he has a son called Leo. Before the closing credits appear, it says that now he always leaves a note to tell his family where he is going.
This movie is undoubtedly one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life. Danny Boyle, the director succeeded in making this movie so human, and vivid by showing how strong us humans can be. The scenes, some shot at very different angles than we’re maybe used to, as well as the camera work are incredible. You are so compelled by it all, that you practically can’t leave Blue John Canyon until Aron is able to do so as well. And the fact, that he had enough willpower to amputate his own arm will never cease to shock and astound me. I think Aron Ralston is one of the bravest people alive. His strength, his will to live and his positive attitude to enjoy life even after what happened is astonishing. Concerning the portrayal of Aron in the movie, I think the producers couldn’t have chosen any better actor than the AMAZING James Franco. He succeeded in making it look believable, and not like a cheap reproduction of what happened. He really deserved his Oscar nomination because his performance was simply breathtaking.
Well, I think there can be nothing more said now than WATCH THE MOVIE. And always keep the following in mind, which probably wraps up the whole movie: There is no force on earth more powerful than the will to live.
