Clara

Wow, where to start.....

This is one of those movies that has so many layers to it's story, that all pieces together finely to make one, great piece of film making. Now I'm no expert reviewer, or even amateur scientist, but I'll do my best to explain this one.

Isaac Bruno is a scientist obsessed with finding a new planet, with the potential to harbour life, around distant stars. But he's a troubled man, having to deal with a very recent loss in his life, which greatly affects his work and career. Enter Clara, who agrees to be his unpaid research assistant, but has a very unscientific way of explaining her view of the universe. Together, when new data is released following the launch of a new space telescope, they attempt to find the elusive planet, whilst helping each other to deal with more earthly problems.

The relationship side of the story between Bruno and Clara, never becomes boring. The characters are so well played by the two lead actors, that you actually end up caring for their lives and situations, something that is rarely achieved in many movies nowadays. And their story is so well intertwined with the main plot.

The science behind the planet searching is explained in a way that doesn't treat you like an idiot (even one like me!!), so even those not used to this kind of movie should at least grasp the basics, and it certainly doesn't distract ones attention from the story.

We seem to be bombarded nowadays with so many sci-fi movies about alien invasions and superhero daring do, that movies like this seem to get lost in the ether. Indeed I don't remember this movie getting a cinematic release in the UK (but I could be wrong there). And that's a real shame because this is probably (in my opinion), one of the best "thinking mans" sci-fi movies out there.

If movies like Aliens, Independence Day or Predator, are your thing, then you will want to avoid this one. If, however you prefer the likes of Contact, 2001 etc, then this movie is an absolute must.

I got to see this film at an advance screening ahead of general cineplex release, in a small but dedicated audience who came out on a windy subzero Thursday night. I happily recommend it. The storyline is built on the modern search for Earth-like planets and evidence for life elsewhere in the universe, and the most important thing I want to say is that the science (the astronomy part especially) is real, credible, and gripping. The storyline is clever, the acting is good, and it's engaging from start to finish. We know from the start that a 'discovery' is going to come along, one way or another, and the way it emerges is really nice -- a quite clever twist on what we might have expected. No spoilers, because it's worth seeing for the way it resolves. The director and writer, Akash Sherman, had the basics for the story in place right from the start, but he also had the sense to hire a couple of legitimate science consultants to nail it all down. So the script (mostly) isn't built on "junk science" like most scifi films do (although the use of ideas from "quantum entanglement", which is increasingly popular these days, also has an important role but turns out to be a bit of a stretch).

The way this kind of science is done is also on the money, even if understandably overdramatized just a little. The plot develops just like most real science does: it's both competitive (who's going to "get there" first?? are our heroes going to get scooped by someone else?) and cooperative (many people have to combine their expertise and resources to finish the project). The leading pair are Isaac (Patrick J. Adams) and Clara (Troian Bellisario) but as things develop they get help from Isaac's professional friend Charlie (Ennis Esmer), his former wife and colleague Rebecca (Kristen Hager), and eventually the senior director of TESS, Dr. Rickman (R. H. Thomson). Though Isaac is the leader, all of them quite properly share the credit at the end. The facilities that are part of the proceedings including the Kepler and TESS telescopes, CalTech, U.Toronto, and SETI, are also quite real.

Even in big-budget market-driven Hollywood there are a few good movies based on real astrophysics -- think Contact (1997), Interstellar (2014), or Arrival (2016) for example. They used the right consultants too. The difference between those films and "Clara" is more a matter of tone and scale -- in an indie film it's less necessary to jack up the tension, drama, and big effects and so it can feel more realistic. And it does. The whole process of research, of following a key idea step by step through getting more and better measurements, interpreting them, and moving on to the next stage, are a little oversimplified but they look and feel real, and they don't tax the audience's patience. The actual Discovery Moments aren't big screen-melting "Eureka!!!" deals either; they're lower-key "hmm, that's odd --" kinds of events that are actually just as dramatic but far more real.

Another important thing: scientists like the protagonist, Isaac Bruno, do research because they are flat-out curiosity driven. They're not doing this for glory or riches. They're doing this because that's who they are. This movie shows that curiosity is a fundamental human driver that can actually compete successfully (as we see) against other basic human drivers like food, sleep, sex, shelter -- you name it. Of the big-budget films that follow the same lines I'd place this one closest to Contact.

The cast is just fine and the two young lead actors Adams and Bellisario are quite good. I'd be happy to see them again in other things. Though the planet-hunting is the scaffolding for the storyline, it's really supposed to be a love story with a very human cycle of awkward engagement, joy, regret, and commitment with no fairy-tale ending. Once again, all of this steers away from Hollywood-style Big Moments. Isaac needs to get fully beyond his recent past history of pain and loss, and Clara has to come to terms with being an unwitting (and probably unwilling) conduit for a Message. My thought is that Clara isn't given a last name because of her somewhat mythic place in the plot, but see what you think when you watch it.

Mind meets heart. You could argue that one is better than the other. And that might be true for certain things - for other things maybe not so much. One thing is sure: they work best together. If you find the balance ... you win - even if you lose. Although lose may be too big a word. And win may not be exactly right.

We have a love story here - but also a story of two individuals who try to prove something. Mostly to others - at least it appears so. Because actually they try to prove something to themselves. And both alone cannot achieve that - but together: they actually can.

Some really fine dialog here and some really heartbreaking dramatic moments too. Central performances are more than decent and the movie has some other ideas to share with you too. For some it may be a bit too much (it could have focused on one thing, like the science part or the love part), but I think it does walk the line quite nicely. And maybe you can believe too ... if you suspend your disbelief that is.

Great cast + great story + great direction = Something special. This is a gem of a movie, believable, credible and paced to perfection. This is a treat for movie fans who want a slice of authenticity to their pleasure. Loved it.

Is our universe an infinite masterpiece of order and structure? Or is it merely a limitless amalgamation of randomness and chance? These are the questions posed and explored in the new sci-fi drama "Clara".

Writer and Director Akash Sherman has fashioned a most intriguing tale of science, distant space exploration, traumatic loss and unlikely romance. That's a lot of fertile, yet tricky, ground to cover in any story, and Sherman does so most adroitly here. Using equal parts special effects, human drama and deep existential issues, his film presents an embracing and genuinely thought-provoking chronicle of man and his place in the great cosmic unknown surrounding and dwarfing him.

If I have an issue with Sherman's film, it would be this: That what is apparently presented to us as one version of Heaven is, to put it both mildly and quite literally, way out there, man. Yet, as with all of the themes the filmmaker thoughtfully investigates in "Clara", whose to say, or know, that this version of The Afterlife may not be at least in the ballpark of actuality? Certainly not we of mortal man and woman status, and this is for DAMN sure.

Patrick J. Adams (TV's "Suits") and real-life spouse Troian Bellisario (The tube's "Pretty Little Liars") are excellent individually and in tandem as two shattered souls who come together to make a spectacular discovery. Was it the data-driven product of complex analysis and precise calculations? Or could it all have come to pass as simply an accident of luck, happenstance, and, perhaps, even love?

This is the ultimate quandary presented in "Clara". The grand answer may lie embedded in the lyrics of Bob Dylan, whom Sherman prominently features, when the iconic musician suggests it..."is blowin' in the wind."

It's as good a place to start as any.