The Space Between Us has the most fascinating and scientifically inspiring of premises. Gary Oldman is Nathaniel Shepherd, an entrepreneur with dreams of not just sending people to Mars, but for them to live there. He achieves his dream as director Peter Chelsom’s film commences. A crew of the best and brightest is set to shoot past the heavens and head straight to Mars.
Janet Montgomery’s mission leader has sacrificed everything and is set to leave her entire universe behind and head to Mars for the sake of pushing the human race envelope. As they near their destination, she learns she’s pregnant. Once on the Red Planet, she gives birth to Gardner (who will grow up to be Asa Butterfield), and perishes during childbirth. The young lad is raised by Kendra (Carla Gugino), who does her best, despite never expecting to be a mother — coupled with the fact that she also has a mission to complete as part of this elite troop of astronauts.
As a teenager, Gardner meets Tulsa (Britt Robertson) online and the two have an instant spark. Given that a robot is his only friend and the entire scope of people he has met are the dozen or so Mars explorers that he has been around his whole life, he gets an idea. He wants to go to Earth and meet his crush. His wish is granted. He heads to Earth and despite fears over his physiological challenges of being born and raised on one planet and moving to another, he seeks out Tulsa and our adventure, literally, hits the road.
The script from Allan Loeb (Collateral Beauty) could have come across as a bit schmaltzy if not for the expert direction of Peter Chelsom. He has a gift with his actors which elevates the material, especially from Gugino, Butterfield, Robertson and Oldman (who expertly resists the urge to chew scenery, which he totally could have in this role). The film looks, and sounds, incredible. It’s hard to believe that Chelsom achieved what he did with such a relatively small budget and short shooting schedule. It is clear that this was a project filled with passion for its subject matter by all involved and that comes through frame after frame.
See, this is an important movie for our world at this moment. We are filled with cynicism, division and debate that threatens to split our country and larger world completely into pieces. What better than a film about love transcending not just borders, but worlds, to teach us the true lesson. Love is greater than any other emotion known in the human kaleidoscope. And going on a mission — albeit a life threatening and highly dangerous one — in pursuit of that holiest of human traits, is certainly one of the most noble things to build a film around in our hotly contested and biting cultural climate.
He first caught our attention years ago, and Butterfield has only cemented his place as one of his generation’s finest thespians as he moves into young adulthood. The depth of his performance is sensational. Butterfield carries the film on his shoulders and proves yet again why casting is key in a film such as this.
The viewer has to go along with the lead on this ride and be with him (or her) the entire time, all without a moment of pause or doubt that what we are seeing and feeling is real. It must be a performance that is grounded and wrapped firmly in an affectionate sense of urgency that is Gardner’s search for love. And what is beautiful, is that he is not simply on Earth to find a girl, he is there to try to piece together what kind of family he may have come from.
There is a search-for-his-father element to the story that also shines in that Gardner has known nothing but isolation in a sterile environment. Sure, it was filled with as much care and attention as Kendra could provide back on Mars. But, his need for more in his life is ever-present as he traverses the American countryside. He may find love, but Gardner also discovers a form of family on his journey. The triumph is that both of these joys could not have seemed further away when he left Mars. That fact should give us hope. And in these times when it seems as if hope has been sucked out of the atmosphere by a giant dream killer, that may be The Space Between Us’ greatest gift.