Event: 127 Hours

I didn't know until after viewing the blog posts, that someone else beat me to the punch. I'll try to stray away from the same topic.

I went to watch the Academy Award-Winning Director Danny Boyle's film, 127 Hours. I figured it would be appropriate in the context of European media, because Boyle is a British film/tv director. It made me wonder how a director of European decent identifies himself in Hollywood. Can we consider 127 Hours European cinema because the director is European? Or would we have to identify it as European cinema by looking at the story structure, aesthetics, production companies, and etc.? I think something can be found in the aesthetics and story.

Since the release of Slumdog Millionaire—or even before—Boyle seems to have started on a new aesthetic style. A type of style that is not typical in Hollywood mainstream cinema. The first five minutes of 127 Hours starts with a 3-panel display of different footage/angles (can also be seen in the trailer); even as the narrative kicks in, it returns to that same setup numerous times throughout the movie. If I were to identify Boyle's aesthetics, I'd say it's a very playful style. By playful, I mean he is very unrestrained to the systematic/by-the-book Hollywood aesthetic style--"oh you must have this shot, then this shot, then that..." I think since Boyle has now established himself as an award winning director, he has enough power/trust in the industry to do what he likes, which in turn allows him to be himself aesthetically.

It is the first film Boyle has written (ever) with Simon Beaufoy, who is also British. It is a very peculiar Hollywood style story, that clearly follows a three act structure; and has the perfect "high concept” style. On top of that, the story reflects quiet clearly on the American Dream: if you work hard and don't give up, you will succeed. However, at the same time having half the film take place inside the crack of a huge rock, is not very Hollywood. I couldn't help but compare it to No Man's Land, and the concept of immobility/isolation. However, what sets each film apart is the ending. No Man's Land has an unhappy ending, whereas 127 Hours doesn’t. From this comparison, I think it becomes clear that the story is much more of an American cinema story than anything else.

With these two points of comparison—aesthetics and story—I agree with what someone else wrote about Elsaesser concept of "double occupancy" in relation to 127 Hours. Danny Boyle definitely has a sense of double occupancy as a filmmaker. He is able to identify himself as a non-American director through his aesthetics, while also tackling a story that is outside of his national identity. As a result, he receives a hyphenated identity. I think we can obscurely refer to a moment in the film where one of the girls tells Aron Ralston (James Franco) “Oh you’re one of those.” Aron answers, under his breath, “No I’m not.” To me this exemplifies the concept of not being purely one thing, or from one region. And whether or not this piece of dialogue literally refers to Boyle’s identity as a filmmaker, I’d like to say it does.