On Friday we watched the Martian in the Flora Rose Cafeteria. The movie is about an astronaut who is on a manned mission to mars when a horrible storm hits. During the storm the main character gets knocked by debris and is presumed dead and left behind. We quickly learn that he is alive and must survive for a long time on the planet by himself. In order to survive he must create water to farm food and he is able to farm potatoes using his botany knowledge. In the end the scientists at NASA are able to find a way to bring him home alive after a lot of debate.

An interesting theme in the movie is isolationism. Many novels and movies address this theme but literally being on a different planet is an extreme version of this. Throughout the movie we see how the isolationism affects how he handles his problems and how he handles the communications with NASA. The amazing thing that he does automatically is something that many people wouldn’t be able to do in this situation- have hope. From the first second that he realizes he is alone he starts doing productive things that will increase his chance of survival. Yet when he finally makes contact with NASA he gets annoyed and they equally get annoyed with him. In addition we see him starting to feel slightly crazy but still holding on to the hope to be saved. We truly see his eagerness to return when he shaves his beard and cuts his hair on the day that he starts to begin the process of being saved. Overall, this movie hits the theme of being isolated and holding on to hope at the same time.