Moon

Like some of the more recent films we've watched so far, Moon is equally as much about sci-fi topics like space as well as relationships and psychology.  Sam Bell, played by Sam Rockwell, wakes up on a base on the moon where is works for a company that harvests the sun's energy.  While out in a rover, he has a hallucination and crashes, only to pass out soon after.  He wakes up in the base to Gerty, an AI who tells him what happened and that he should remain inside until a rescue crew arrives.  Sam convinces Gerty to let him outside where he goes to the crash site and finds an older looking version of himself in the rover.  The older Sam recovers back at the base and the two talk about which one is the clone and which one is the real Sam.  Gerty reveals to them that they are both clones of the original Sam.  They begin looking for a way to communicate with earth and their wife because live communications are blocked.  They find satellite jammers on the outskirts of the base and conclude that they are part of some sort of messed up plan by the Lunar Industries company.  Older Sam finds a large tunnel under the base that is filled with many dead and nonliving Sam clones, and realize that if the Eliza rescue finds them together, they will both be killed and a new clone will take their place.  Older Sam, who is slowly dying as his three year contract is almost up, tells younger Sam to take a rocket back to Earth before Eliza shows up.  He returns older Sam to the crash site to be found by Eliza and programs a harvester vehicle to crash into the communications jammer, this allowing live communication.  He gets in the rocket and flies toward earth, and as the credits roll we hear news reports talking about cloning controversy, implying Sam made it safely and brought knowledge of the clones to the public.
     One thing that made this movie so good was the acting by Sam Rockwell.  You would assume that because the movie is about clones, both Sams would have the same personality and way of behaving.  Younger Sam and Older Sam are completely different, pretty much in every way except looks.  This is surely in part caused by the fact that older Sam is slowly dying and losing his mind.  Because of that, he has a more childish attitude, especially when he is being helped out of the rocket.  They have the same motivations, but because one Sam has been on the moon for three years longer than the other, his personality has changed accordingly.  Some aspects of this film relating to Sam's mental state seem like they were influenced by Silent Running and other films like that.  Sam has plants that he takes care of and talks to, and has long conversations with the neighborhood robot.  More so however, is the moment when we see the character change emotionally.  In Silent Running, Freeman has his change while preventing the forests from being destroyed, killing his coworker in the process.  Sam has his change when he talks to his daughter and finds out the truth about himself and his family.  From that point, both characters have a breakdown and become increasingly selfless.  Freeman sacrifices himself for the forest, while older Sam accepts his death so younger Sam can make it to earth.  Overall, moon is an incredible film that deserves a spot on the best sci-fi films ever list.