Corbin Posted October 9, 2013 Posted October 9, 2013 I experienced two great pieces of media today. This morning on my way to work, I listened to the FDR Podcast 860 - Life from Death. If you haven't heard that one, I highly recommend it (I'll explain why I mention this later), and this evening I watched the film Gravity. I found it to be an exhilarating and gripping metaphor on becoming an adult. Sandra Bullock ages amazingly well and Alfonso Cuarón made some magic as writer/director/producer/editor. A few points which I thought were remarkable: [*]The protagonist's psychological development stagnated due to trauma. [*]She assumes the weightless fetal position at one point, symbolizing that she is not yet born (as a fully developed person). [*]When she was facing complete destruction, her unconscious reminded her of a solution she wasn't consciously aware of. [*]She had a 'memento mori' experience preparing for re-entry into the world. [*]The escape-pod was like a womb, which was difficult to emerge from. [*]She had to shed the 'false skin' of her spacesuit because it was weighing her down and would have killed her. [*]At the end, she walked like an infant, symbolizing her birth. I was glad to have listened to the podcast prior to seeing this film. The themes were cohesive and it seemed to prime me for catching some of the metaphors. In the podcast, a listener writes about becoming stagnant and fearful due to the loss of a loved one, and Stefan encourages the listener not to let death win and live as fully as possible.
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