My Favourite Stories - Part 2: Interstellar

Let the record state that I am not a cinephile, nor am I a Christopher Nolan fanboy. Please disregard any evidence of this in the upcoming post.

Interstellar is one of the best films I’ve ever seen, and among my top three favourite sci-fi stories (the other two will be revealed later in this blog series). It takes this spot for the simple reason that I was able to fully understand every aspect of the film despite being the furthest thing from a scientist.

This is because Interstellar is a masterclass in how I believe science should be merged into fiction: fantasizing scientific realities not for the sake of science but for the people using it. Science for life and humanity. That is at the core of this story, as the thing which makes it worth watching are the relationships between the characters, especially Cooper and Murph.

There’s an acknowledgement that purely rational decisions can be disastrous, as it happens many times throughout the narrative that choices made on behalf of ‘reason’ instead of ‘love’ end up having terrible consequences. In a way, Interstellar is a sci-fi story that is aware of the limits of science.

There’s an especially brilliant use of personification with the character of Mann as a symbol of the human survival instinct. His actions force us to confront the atrocities that we are capable of committing in the name of our own survival, what he calls a “human habit.”

I would also lament any discussion of Interstellar without bringing up the incredible soundtrack composed by Hans Zimmer. It perfectly captures the tone of the film with such simplicity and elevates it to new levels. This is the case with pretty much any Hans Zimmer soundtrack, but I felt he did an especially amazing job with Interstellar.