I Attempt To Answer All Your Questions About Joe Penna’s ‘Stowaway’
(I hope that by now you have completed viewing the film and have the end credits rolling on your screen. If not, have a look at your contacts and think of who among them would enjoy watching character studies. Here’s a question to make it easier: “Who among your friends has seen all episodes of ‘Rectify’ and would at least give it a 8/10?”)
Continuous head scratching. That was what happened when I came across this Reddit thread about dissatisfaction about the film. Instead of putting together a piece convincing those who weren’t as impressed with the film as I was…to at least bump up their rating from a 3/10 to a 6/10…I’m going to focus on viewers who liked the film (and like me was taken by the thriller side of the ethical quandary the quartet have in their hands).
As with my affection for Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon’s ‘Homeland’, it is about how Joe was able to bring the emotion through the whole process. While there are those who were disappointed with the ending, I think it is just a sign that those people aren’t much into digging deep within themselves to find little tweaks that could make them just a little bit better humans.
Q#1: Did Zoe die?
A#1: This the question that underpins the whole film. Your answer would reflect on your worldview. One perspective would be that Zoe lives. I don’t share this because we already get a lot of information that stepping outside that protective shield (let alone the ship) is fatal for a human. There’s also those two shots that show radiation damage on her face.
It seems like Joe is only interested in the viewing public who would either give this film multiple viewings, but also those who would be viewing it with a keen eye. I wasn’t at full attention the whole time (at a couple of section I was finishing a meal), but I did spot Micheal’s injury when he had his shirt off. I thought it was interesting that it wasn’t given a closeup, and even doubted what I saw (due to the lighting). But it was both Zoe’s reaction seeing the healed burn and him sharing what caused it that confirmed it.
Would it have been necessary to further punctuate Zoe dying? Probably if Joe was interested in just allowing one point of view. I mean, even with those confirmations that Zoe would have likely died as quick as those engineers who were exposed to the radiation from nuclear power plant meltdowns, I was amazed that some viewers still went: “Oh…I feel like she’s going to get healed…and treatment.” So, just like those last few moments of ‘Inception’, we’re allowed to walk away with how we believed that the story ended. Personally? With that totem wobble that was added to the finished film, I’m part of the group that doesn’t believe that the script (which doesn’t include the wobble) has the final say. Then again…it might be just that I’m more hopeful. Maybe?
As I read comments on various threads, I learned that there is a reason that Zoe didn’t climb back down: her body will be emitting harmful radiation. So, I guess the view is kind of a bonus? I wouldn’t mind having my last moments spent looking at something similar.
Q#2: How the bleep did David pass training if he gets queasy during events similar to what he would experience during the journey?
A#2: I put this either to David’s connections (Harvard currently has a sizeable endowment so it could be assumed that the institution contributed to a lot of the cost of the mission) or actual Hyperion commercial opportunities. We could suppose that at this time in the future a lot of trips to space are either because of government contracts or private companies funded by venture captialists (just like the tech space).
Again, this comes back to the return Hyperion sees sending the right scientist. Maybe David might not get the breakthrough that gives the monetary return the company is hoping for, but it might give a certain prestige in terms of what he eventually publishes.
Q#3: Who is the antagonist?
A#3: A lot of writeups about the film mention that there is no ‘villain’, while I do agree with that…it doesn’t mean that there isn’t an antagonist. Though there isn’t a big showdown between Zoe (the protagonist) and David, it has the necessary ingredients that show the relationship. If David had not given Michael the pen (it’s a bit like an epipen…right? But just with a lethal effect if injected onto a human) that allows him to die without pain.
I feel like if that hadn’t happened, Zoe wouldn’t have been pushed to really find a way to save them all. Though I understand that something similar could have happened two days before the deadline.
Based on that. My money is on David.
Q#4: How did Michael end up behind a panel that had been screwed shut?
A#4: Based on what Michael mentioned, it seems like he was dragged from his original location: working on the ship’s ignition. Based on the kind of vibration (plus the 5 g’s later) that was happening during the two stages before the launch vehicle is connected to the tethers, it isn’t too far-fetched that he would have been dragged far enough and caused enough impact to damage the equipment that takes out carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Q#5: The fact that there was still enough fuel in the launch rockets was too convenient. Has there been any evidence that this could have happened?
A#5: During the launch Marina mentions to mission control that the engines are under-performing. While this did not jeopardise them reaching the ship (the one that has signatures of the previous crew), it is an indication that not all the fuel was burned.
It is probably another reason that I do have significant affection for the film. There wasn’t even a line saying something like: “That’s right! The engines were under-performing! There should be enough!”. We just get a shot of Zoe looking through manuals and then Michael (at 1:14:05) giving use a clue on what she’s up to.
Q#6: Why didn’t Zoe tether the canister on the way back to the ship?
A#6: I do understand that it is quite convenient to lose that second canister. The reason I’m still buying that it happened, was the heightened situation. They were both rushing to safety to avoid the radiation. Think of the times when you missed something because you were rushing? There’s also the likelihood that survival instincts would have kicked in and Zoe’s brain would have automatically had all (if not most) of her mental energy invested in just getting herself to safety.
If you’ve experienced something that could have resulted in your death (even something as simple as almost choking on a piece of cherry tomato), you’ll would have likely remembered how your body was just focused on getting you breathing again.
Q#7: Was Michael’s life less valuable than the other three?
A#7: As with Q#1, this is essentially the link and the answer. No, Michael’s life is not less valuable. When tackling questions that deals with ethics, when you are confronted with the actual situation, its unlikely that you’ll have that simple answer. Just like when Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper) was presented with the trolley problem in an episode of ‘The Good Place’. Things aren’t always that simple.
The reason Michael was singled out (not just by the crew but also Jim, speaking on behalf of Hyperion) was because he had less training in the kind of mission they were undertaking, and the loss of any one of the three crew would have decreased them making it to Mars and back to Earth.
Q#8: Why didn’t Marina fight more for alternative solutions?
A#8: This points to probably back story of her character that we don’t get to confirm in a scene. But remembering that this isn’t her first mission. Also that there might have been issues during her previous missions where she has learned to trust what is going on behind the scenes. As the person ultimately responsible for her crew, it’s her job to get all the humans that were there during launch…back.
Maybe if Marina were the protagonist, we would end up with more of what she was thinking about (rather than only observe what she was going through). In this story, she is more of the ‘mentor’, which is typically the person the protagonist rebels against (because sometimes…even more experienced people are wrong).
Yes, maybe if there is a sequel, we might be able to see what was going on in Hyperion not only during the timeline when the film is set, but as the ship lands on Mars then returns back. I could definitely see the commander absolutely have a go at Jim for not telling her about an alternative solution (assuming that one of the engineers working on solutions would have approached her for an option that could have fixed the scrubber but put their survival rate to maybe as low as 5%).
Q#9: Could there been a better version of the story?
A#9: Well, that depends. I feel like this is a really good version (so much that I gave it a 9/10 during my first viewing). I am not bothered that Anna Kendrick tackled Zoe. Since I have yet to view the other three titles (‘Love Life’, ‘Dummy’, and ‘Human Discoveries’) being a producer, I couldn’t say that her other projects would be a fit or not. I can say that I was glad that since ‘Up in the Air’, there is another film that not only shows her range, it also ended up a title I would recommend.
Viewers who liked Anna in ‘Trolls’, ‘A Simple Favor’, and ‘Pitch Perfect’ aren’t likely going to embrace this film. So you’re just going to have to accept that some of your buddies wouldn’t be cheering with you next time she takes on a similar project like ‘Stowaway’. If they didn’t feel the warmth from Zoe (particularly at 1:09:57) when she was in the process of convincing Michael to not take the option David offered) it’s just not the film for them. It happens, no matter how much we would like even our closest friends to be moved with what has moved us.
Q#10: Why couldn’t have they just printed parts for a new CDRA?
A#10: I’m going to go with Hyperion being known to cost cut. Michael has a conversation with Zoe at when he explains how the launch vehicle was designed for two crewmembers but had to be pushed to accommodate three.
There’s also the likelihood that Zoe has the only 3D printer on board. Since we were shown that it was used to print a splint for Marina’s injury, it’s likely that they wouldn’t have the parts (to load into the printer) or might not even have a compatible printer (maybe it wasn’t large enough to print what was required to fix the CDRA).
Q#11: Why isn’t there a spare CDRA?
A#11: I think what I’m going to cling to here is Hyperion’s logic that having only one CDRA working (and no spares) in previous missions posed no issue so they’re not going to expend additional resources to cover something that it isn’t likely (according to their calculations) to happen. A darker explanation would be that a malfunctioning CDRA is probably indicative of something bigger, and it’s likely that all crew would die anyway.
It could also be that insurance didn’t require it. Now I’m wondering about the background of other Hyperion missions. Particularly those that failed (no deaths but lots of mission issues) or resulted in crew getting injured. What are the courts like in terms of compensation for staff if something happens? Would they have been better off if it would have been something handled by the government?
Q#12: Should I avoid Reddit if I like films like this?
A#12: Because SciFi films tend to promise a lot of science rather than emotion, it’s not a surprise that there were those who expected something different. But generally the majority of Redditors would prefer Alex Garland’s ‘Ex Machina’ rather than Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Arrival’. There are those who appreciate the film though and aren’t shy to join discussions that slam it.
If you’re looking for other suggestions, one option you could attempt is going through reviews on Letterboxd. The contributors to the site are more consistent than IMDB. So, you’ll likely see a history of the other kinds of films that person enjoyed. I’m not sure if it’s the marketing of the film…but the review numbers are still slim.
So based on George Clark’s past ratings (he gave the film 3/5) the titles I would pick would be:
- ‘Before Sunrise’
- ‘A Quiet Place Part II’
- ‘We Bought a Zoo’
- ‘My Octopus Teacher’
- ‘The Mitchells vs. The Machines’ (the pacing of this one is completely different from ‘Stowaway’ — — But I’m still mentioning this…just in case your viewing blueprint has similarities to mine…as I rate this one 9/10. A yes if you’re looking for a cheeky quality film)
- ‘Only Yesterday’
- ‘Spirited Away’
- ‘Nomadland’
- ‘Soul’
- ‘The Farewell’
Q#13: Surely someone would have noticed Micheal was missing! Why didn’t this happen?
A#13: It’s more the improbable thing. Unlikely, but it could have been a result of other repair crew thinking that Michael was out but then he returned remembering to fix something. Since it’s established that he’s the kind of guy that would go a bit more than what is asked (or even expected) of him, its plausible that he’s wanting to do the best job he can supporting this mission so he could have a better chance on being recruited for future ones.
And digging deeper….if Michael was elsewhere compared to where he was expected to be (fixing something he thought was important but didn’t have a chance to tell enough people what he was doing). I understand that they didn’t delve into this because it doesn’t make a different to the story. It gives us a bit more of the kind of working conditions and safety issues in Hyperion, but wouldn’t really result in a different ending.
Q#14: Was it all a lie? Did Michael intentionally want to be in the launch vehicle so he could join the mission?
A#14: One of the assumptions in the film is that everyone (maybe aside from Hyperion?) is doing their best. No nefarious people.
I know it could be an acting thing, that Michael was trying to be convincing so he could have a short-cut in earning his stripes on a trip to Mars. The issue with that assumption is his sister. He’s been protector for a long time.
For more on my thoughts about the film, you can dive in here.
PS: What other questions have I missed? (Are there specific details you think other viewers should focus on that would help them appreciate the story better?)
Drop me a line here or comment below! :)
