Welcome one and all to part 46 of The 52 In 52. The concept is simple each week I pick a film that has been gathering dust on my shelf and I review it for all of you to read. Last week I reviewed Cigarette Burns.
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This week I will be reviewing 2018's Aniara. Based on a poem by Harry Martinson, Aniara was released in 2018 and is a joint production of Pella Kagerman and Hugo Lijla. The story follows a Mimarobe (Emelie Jonsson) who is charged with guiding guests on a spaceship in using the MIMA, a machine that can access the guests memories of the now destroyed earth. during the spaceships journey to the final destination of Mars the ship is run off course and floats aimlessly around space. As the years turn to decades the once hopeful guests descend into anarchy and life becomes a constant battle.
I really enjoyed Aniara but, I have to admit, I think it was an acquired taste. I really enjoyed the story that focused more on the events on board Aniara rather than the events such as climate change rendering a lot of earth uninhabitable, that came before. The story is told at a decent pace and is split into chapters that allow the story to progress over a number of years that in an average science fiction film would have meant sequels or sacrificing plot points in favour for a fast paced action sequence. The story itself is a brilliant character study and shows the development of the Mimarobe as she goes from being another spoke in a giant wheel to becoming an integral part of the ships operation as the society around her crumbles. The story is bleak and ultimately tragic as the title of the film would suggest, Aniara coming from the greek word meaning sad and despairing, and that really is the story in a nutshell. The joyous moments are few and far between and eventually lead to helplessness.
The visual effects are done in a way that are slick and creative way but, without being showy. The scenes with MIMA are mesmerising and really creative. The science fiction elements are subtle and add to the underlying story without being too over the top.
The score throughout the film helps build tension throughout the first half of the film and really doesn't feel too distracting or over used.
Emelie Jonsson is fantastic throughout. She starts the film as a gentle and timid character and over time she gains the strength of character that others seem to be losing as Aniara floats through space. Bianca Cruziero is equally fantastic, even if a little under used as Isagel. Arvin Kananian is a strange comedic relief as the buffoon captain.
Overall Aniara is a relentlessly bleak film that adds a human element to science fiction. Brilliant central performances and focus on story rather than visuals and score mean that Aniara sets itself apart from other recent science fiction cinema.
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