After an devastating event that leaves the planet uninhabitable, humanity has evacuated the Earth and travelled to planet K-23. Discovered by Clooney's scientist Dr. Augustine Lofthouse, the planet is able to be colonised by what remains of humanity. The film follows Augustine, who is terminally ill and has sacrificed his relationships in life in favour of science, as he chooses to stay behind on the doomed Earth. His only purpose is to warn a crew of astronauts, lead by David Oyelowo and Felicity Jones, not to return to the planet.
The reason for that is that the film chooses to make the characters its main focus, and rightly so. The very thing driving their will to survive is their relationships with each other. The film thrives in its quiet moments when the bonds between the characters are on full display. The team of astronauts have been completely isolated for two years on a scouting mission to K-23, and it is their reminiscing about memories of their families and playing cards together that really makes you invested in their future. These happy moments of friendship make surviving their hardships all the more important, and give hope despite the seeming hopelessness of it all.
Augustine's story highlights the importance of human connection even more. Clooney gives an excellent performance as an aged scientist, full of regret for not prioritising the people in his life over his scientific discoveries. He gets the chance to make up for his mistakes when he discovers a young girl who was accidentally left behind during the evacuation. Iris is not very talkative, but quickly becomes attached to a reluctant Augustine. The relationship formed between the two is really touching, as Augustine seems to find redemption and a sense of purpose through caring for her. Not much of his past is shown in the film, only a couple of admittedly clunky flashbacks that show how aloof he was in his younger years. His sense of redemption and regret may have been conveyed better if his life had been explored more, but all-in-all the flashbacks are heavy-handed enough to show what sort of person he was and what he has given up.
Like much of the film, the ending is quiet and contemplative. There is no big event or surprise, but The Midnight Sky clearly doesn't aim to have a definitive ending. The more important thing is the journey that these characters have been on, and the continuation of that journey beyond where the film ends. Most importantly, the film leaves us with a sense of hope for their future.
The entire cast give excellent performances, especially when it comes to making their characters' friendships seem easy and real, and the film has some beautiful visuals. The arctic and the inside of the spacecraft might not be anything to gawk at, but the time spent in space is quite breathtaking. There is a scene where the astronauts spend time outside of their ship, and the scene does a brilliant job of making you realise how tiny humans are in the grand scheme of things, and how beautiful the universe is.
The Midnight Sky might not break any new ground where survival and sci-fi films are concerned, but it is a moving look at the importance of making genuine emotional connections with the people around us, and that hits especially hard at a time when our ability to connect with others is limited.
The Midnight Sky is available in select theatres and on Netflix globally on 23rd December