Danny Boyle puts a camera into Aron Ralston’s head and projects it on screen. That’s how difficult it was to portray Ralston’s situation on screen. It has been done with dexterity and starkness; with a dash of humor thrown in. ‘127 Hours’ is a triumph of cinematic technique in creating a story around something that is completely devoid of drama: a man trapped all alone between a boulder and a wall of rock.
The story revolves around Aron Ralston, a loner who loves adventure and ventures out into canyoneering without informing anyone. That is his style anyway. During this stint, he comes across two girls who are lost and takes them to a couple of fun places in the canyon and moves along. While trying to cross a narrow passage, one of the boulders gives way and takes Aron down with it, trapping his hand between itself and the canyon wall. He has not brought his Swiss Army Knife with him, has an energy bar and some water to sustain. There is no one around for miles to help. How will he extricate himself from this situation is what the film explores.
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy’s screenplay is very creative. They take a lot of cinematic license in splitting the screen vertically into 3 sections, each showing Ralston from a different angle. Ralston’s adventures are shot in a pro-biking mode, like you would see a biking race on action channels. The most impactful part of the direction is in the way Boyle projects what’s going on in Ralston’s mind.
The screen plays out what goes through his mind. For instance, when Ralston feels thirsty he imagines a cool drink and himself drinking it. Out of frustration, he remembers the two girls he met and proceeds to try and masturbate, stopping himself to conserve body fluids. The term ‘who life flashing by’ is brought to life superbly. Rahman’s music is a key accompaniment that adds to the drama. The tempo of the soundtrack is high as Aaron is shown canyoneering, but slows down as he struggles to free himself and the soundtrack becomes melancholic.
James Franco surprises us with a credible performance, in a role that required a lot of physical acting. His Oscar nomination was richly deserved.
Watch ‘127 Hours’ to see how a difficult subject is brought to screen in the most engaging way in what is a fitting tribute to a tremendous human triumph