REEL TO REAL
Life on Mars
Photo: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
What can we learn about being human from a movie set in outer space?
In our culture, films have become a place where we wrestle with the big questions of life. Who is God? What gives life meaning? What does it mean to be human? Reel to Real is a new series that explores the intersection between film and theology, offering thoughtful engagement with an art form capable of conveying deep spiritual truth. Dr. Aimee Patterson, a Christian ethics consultant at The Salvation Army Ethics Centre in Winnipeg, and Dr. Michael Boyce, head of English and film studies at Booth University College in Winnipeg, reflect on The Martian. Dear Mike,
C
an we talk about The Martian? What a great film! Like Robinson Crusoe or Cast Away, it’s a story about someone stranded on a deserted island. But in this case, the island is Mars and the person is NASA-astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon), left for dead on the red planet. Watney, like his crewmates, is well-equipped for space exploration. His extensive scientific knowledge is complemented by psychological stability, tenacity and a remarkable aptitude for problem solving. The movie is heavy on science. Technologies and procedures that movie viewers would have scoffed at even a decade ago are made plausible in the context of a not-so-distant future. Some have called The Martian a story of the battle between humans and the universe. There are deeper ideas at play here. Watney is alone on Mars. We don’t get much of his backstory, which suggests that he was largely alone before the mission to Mars. He has parents, but there is no indication of a spouse, children or non-NASA 12 April 2016 Salvationist
friends. Ultimately, he claims he is willing to die, alone, for something “big and beautiful and greater” than himself. But in the meantime, we can see that he uses a lot of humour to cope with his looming fate and his ever-present loneliness. Yet Watney is not alone in the rescue effort. His life matters to NASA personnel beyond any public relations issues they face. His life matters to average people who follow his story and rally to encourage NASA to bring Watney home. The China National Space Agency is inspired to offer up its secret rocket booster, so his life even matters at an international level. Watney’s plight encourages reconciliation, relationship building and true concern for a stranger. The message is that we are not meant to be alone. What’s your take on The Martian, Mike? Aimee Dear Aimee,
I
was struck by a few aspects of The Martian, and the issues you’ve raised—about isolation and humanity’s need for community—were certainly front and centre. Whenever I watch films, one of the questions I ask is, “What does this film reveal about its cultural context?” In other words, why was this film made at the time it was? Films, literature and art are never made in a vacuum. They always reflect the cultural context of the time in which they were produced. Much of the film focuses on Watney and his attempt to make a life for himself on Mars, which is often quite monotonous. Then the story shifts dramatically to the group effort to bring him home. The film exposes two unique yet contradictory