George Clooney stars and directs in this retelling of Mark L. Smith’s science fiction novel ‘Good Morning, Midnight’. The post-apocalyptic tale follows the last days of lonely scientist Augustine as he endeavours to warn the crew of spaceship ‘Ether’ not to return to Earth but the go back to the planet they are coming from to start life anew.

An unexplained catastrophe on Earth which caused the atmosphere to become unliveable, has driven many people underground or into space. The story rarely touches on the past of this catastrophe but instead delves into the makings of the protagonist. Augustine’s past is evoked through flashbacks of prior meetings with a love interest. These flashbacks happen when Augustine is undergoing frequent transfusions to cure his mysterious illness. Augustine then races against time travelling across the Arctic to reach a communications tower to rely an important message to the incoming spaceship. Real and unreal blend to add gusto to the mysterious atmosphere which haunts Earth. This is juxtaposed with the comradeship and friendliness seen on the spaceship ‘Ether’. It alludes to a disturbing future where all hope is lost on Earth and the hope that remains is distant and alien.

The film is in no way a critique on current climate affairs but instead an assessment of a hopeless and desperate scientist who devoted his life to explore the universe for want of a better world. His only hope lingers on the last ship. The film alludes to national divisions, ‘Ether’ tries to contact other ships from other countries i.e., India and Russia, even though it is against protocol. The world is clearly not working together but separately throughout this catastrophe, a comment on world relations and a warning of what may happen if states do not work together in the face of a bigger threat. Both the Arctic communications tower and the spaceship are alone and adrift. Neither fit in with their respected surroundings – adding to this the quiet scenes, the lonely meals with holograms of family and the inaudible mutterings of George Clooney then it all adds up to not just physical loss and displacement but a loss of humanity. The whole movie signals an end from its beginning, the desolate Arctic landscape mirrors that of the empty space ‘Ether’ travels through. The only Eden we see is the new planet, waiting to be inhabited.

This desolate view of the end of the world transcends into the film as a product. The film moves slowly and in the end it goes nowhere. Sully (Felicity Jones) and Adewole (David Oyelowo) are to return to the newly discovered planet in what we are to assume is the new beginning of the human race, but it lacks importance, doesn’t seem plausible. The films carnal sin is that no one really seems bothered or interested, but instead, fed up.

Director: George Clooney
Writers: Lily Brooks-Dalton (based on the book ‘Good Morning, Midnight’ by), Mark L. Smith (screenplay by)
Stars: George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo
William Rotherforth
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