How do you make sense of the world when even gravity refuses to play by a consistent set of rules?
That’s the question at the heart of writer-director Cédric Ido’s The Gravity (La gravité), a gritty sci-fi tale about hustling, seeking balance, and living up to your potential.
A mysterious cosmic event has forced all the solar system’s planets to align. The brightest minds on the planet can’t figure out what’s about to happen. But people worldwide all agree it won’t be good.
Daniel (Max Gomis) and Joshua (Steve Tientcheu) are brothers who resort to selling drugs to survive. Daniel wants to leave hustling behind and secretly decides to move to Canada.
But life has other plans.
A crew of teenage crooks calling themselves the ronin see the pending cataclysm as a new beginning. In their twisted minds, it’s the universe’s way of seeking balance. They scheme to rule over their neighbourhood, but firsts they must eliminate the older hustlers standing in their way.
The Gravity looks and sounds fantastic. Cinematographer David Ungaro’s haunting cinematography creates the surreal vibe of a world on the precipice of a cataclysm. Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine’s majestic score gives the action and drama additional gravitas.
The Gravity is a solid sophomore effort from the French Burkinabé director. It’s an intriguing sci-fi crime flick showing hints of Ido’s potential as a genre filmmaker. It may not soar to the heights of better sci-fi films, but it still defies gravity for a moment or two.
