Voyagers

 4/4

Starring: Tye Sheridan, Lily Rose-Depp, Fionn Whitehead, Colin Farrell

Rated PG-13 for Violence, Some Strong Sexuality, Bloody Images, a Sexual Assault and Brief Strong Language

"Voyagers" is exhibit A that movies for teenagers don't have to be dumb.  With movies like "Transformers," "Twilight," and the MCU dominating the teen movie market, Hollywood seems to consistently underestimate the intelligence of the 13-18 crowd.  But when I was in high school, people would talk about movies like "The Matrix" and "Requiem for a Dream" as opposed to the latest teeny bopper flick.  "Voyagers" will fit right in with those movies...if enough people see it.

I remember taking a philosophy course in college, and one of the questions that was posed was how a person would react if they spent their entire life in a box and was suddenly let out.  How would a person react?  It's an intriguing question, and it cuts to the heart of how our environment affects us.  It is also the point at which "Voyagers" starts.

Earth is dying.  There is no hope for the planet any longer.  To preserve the species, humanity will send a one way voyage to a far off planet and repopulate it.  The voyage will take 87 years, so none of the original crew will leave to see their new home.  To help them cope with their fate, scientists like Richard Alling (Farrell) have decided to have their genetically bred explorers grow up in a completely sealed environment.  They are also given medication to suppress their natural emotions for the benefit of the mission.  Naturally, hormones and mistrust give way to rebellion, and things go very badly very quickly.

Like all good science fiction, "Voyagers" finds a way to dramatize real life concerns.  By setting the story in the future, a filmmaker can establish the rules he or she wants in order to explore the themes they wish. For example.  What are the ethics of suppressing a person's emotions?  Surely such a mission is of vital importance and great risk.  But do such concerns outweigh the needs of a person to mature psychologically and emotionally?  Can such a person handle the stresses that will inevitably arise in such a dangerous mission?  And what if they find out the truth?  What then?

Writer/director Neil Burger draws influence from many sources, including "Equilibrium," "Alien," and, most notably, "Lord of the Flies."  Burger retains William Golding's cynical views of human nature, although he explores them with his own ideas.  That makes the film seem fresh and achieve a high level of tension.  He doesn't hide from the sexual and violent implications of the premise he has created from himself.  In fact, he embraces them.  So much so that the film only narrowly avoided an R rating (and, if we are being honest, it still deserves it).  As is, this film is not for younger children.

The consistently high level of acting also enhances the film's effect.  The young actors have difficult jobs, as they are quickly becoming aware of their emotions.  None of them know what to do about it or understand their feelings.  Tye Sheridan continues to show his range as an actor as the smartest and most level-headed member of the crew.  He's easy to get behind.  Lily Rose-Depp (daughter of Johnny Depp and his ex-girlfriend, Vanessa Paradis) is a natural in front of the camera, showing the same strength and intelligence that Brie Larson brings to her roles (the two actresses look similar as well.  Then there is Colin Farrell, who has been lying low in indie films for the past couple of years.  Farrell is known for playing high energy, angry characters, but here he is soft-spoken and empathetic.  He's quite good.  The true star is Fionn Whitehead, who plays the most vile, sneering creep in many a moon.  Whitehead is genuinely creepy.

What is great about this movie is that it keeps redefining itself.  At first it is a sci-fi story, then a sociological experiment, and finally a battle between two sides of human nature.  Yes it descends into violence and mayhem, but that doesn't bother me.  It feels like a natural extension of what came before, as opposed to a manufactured ending shoehorned in to justify the budget and to appeal to the lowest common denominator.  More importantly, the tension remains high and the narrative is unpredictable.

This is one of the year's best films.

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