Stowaway (2021)

Stowaway (2021)

Not to be confused with other films of the same name, such as Stowaway (2022).

This is a good Netflix film, a mix of drama and science fiction with a very strong cast: Anna Kendrick, Toni Collette, Daniel Dae Kim and… Shamier Anderson, Passenger No. 4!

A realistic and exciting film about space, with great actors, which raises the question of who has the greater right to life. I don’t think the three regular astronauts have more right to life than the stowaway.

This film kept me on the edge of my seat… because I felt that something was going to happen. Something very powerful and upsetting. But I didn’t necessarily know who it was going to happen to.

Of course, I can hear all the negative reviews from here! We know them, the usual grumblers, grouches, professional whiners! Yes, exactly, the ones who always say the same things: nothing happens, no action, you’re always waiting for something that never comes, I was bored stiff from start to finish, ‘bad actor’ or ‘what are these excellent actors doing here?’ Anyway! I’m tired of imitating them, because these comments always think they’re clever, but they contribute absolutely nothing. These people, who sorely lack sensitivity, have no empathy, and unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do for them anymore.

So, obviously, it takes place in space, but there are no explosions, no attacking space shuttles, no meteor showers, no comets, no Aliens or Predators! No lightsabers, no use of the Force, no Dark Side! So, of course I’m mocking it! It’s as if science fiction always has to be violent and never calm or romantic, like in the excellent Passengers (2016). As if it were worthless without action.

No, Stowaway is based on mistakes that can be fatal and risk making us lose our humanity. We can’t always predict everything. Sometimes you have to make drastic choices to save people, at the expense of other innocent people.

I didn’t like Anna Kendrick for a long time, and most of her films don’t appeal to me. I hated Alice, Darling (2022). I didn’t necessarily want to watch Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2011) after seeing the trilogy.

But her famous cup choreography while singing shows she has a certain talent.

Interesting fact: she starred alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the very bad Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), but both also appear in the excellent The Hollars (2016).

When Kendrick directed Woman of the Hour (2023), I gained a lot of respect for her. Her film is very good and so is her performance. It adds another gem to Netflix.

For me, Toni Collette was first and foremost The Sixth Sense (1999), but I’ve lost count of the number of films I’ve watched starring this extraordinary actress. Although not always very judicious in her choice of films, she has nevertheless starred in gems such as Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Juror #2 (2024), Muriel’s Wedding (1994), Knives Out (2019), Miss You Already (2015), Hitchcock (2012), The Hours (2002), etc.

I know Daniel Dae Kim mainly from the series Lost, and I liked him there. But he also starred in the series Hawaii Five-0. It takes quite a bit of voice acting for cartoons. He appeared in the excellent The Cave (2005) and Hellboy (2004).

Finally, I didn’t know Shamier Anderson, but I enjoyed his performance here. He apparently starred in the series Soulmates and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).

Stowaway is a very good film. It’s not perfect, but that doesn’t matter. It’s slow, but intense and powerful. Some will say that the women are honest and strong, while the men, despite their muscles, let themselves be carried along, powerless… but that’s a purely subjective opinion with no basis, because that’s not at all how I saw it. Perhaps it’s the spirit of the times that makes some people feel that way.

Personally, whether male or female, everyone does their best in this film. That’s what’s beautiful and touching about it. Because we don’t always need to have good guys and bad guys, strong guys and weak guys. Being human is already complex and all of those things at once.