Moon is very thoughtful for a sci-fi film . . .
I wanted to hark back to that era of science fiction when things were a bit more serious, and they did deal much more in human issues, not just the adventure, the technology and the action set-pieces.
Wasn’t that quite risky commercially?
I was so focused on making sure that I got it right — whether it was commercial or not just wasn’t something I was thinking about. There’s enough humour and lighthearted bits and smaller action bits to make sure that it didn’t feel like a kitchen-sink drama stuck on the Moon.
The sets reminded me of Alien and Outland In fact some of those people who worked on those films worked on our films. Bill Pearson, who did the model miniatures for us, worked on Outland and built the Nostromo in Alien. Also, one of the model builders on our film had worked on R2-D2. I wanted the film to look as though Syd Mead (Aliens) and Ron Cobb (Dark Star) had designed it.
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So is Moon a deliberate homage to 1970s sci-fi?
I think the homages have more to do with the plot devices and the aesthetic of the film than the character. Sam’s character is much more personal in a way. It’s about human issues: what it’s like to go through a long-distance relationship; what it’s like to spend a long time in isolation (which is something I’ve been through); and what it’s like to look at yourself. The whole thought experiment of meeting yourself and having to deal with yourself, and whether you’d like yourself or whether you’d see the faults.
Was the moment when Sam meets his clone a nod to Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey?
Funnily enough that wasn’t one that came to mind when we were working on it. Who knows what was in there, in the subconscious, but I was fixated on this thought experiment. What would it be like, me in my mid-thirties when I was writing the film, to meet me in my mid-twenties when I was a much angrier, much more difficult person to deal with? And I thought, those two guys having to have a conversation, there’s conflict there, so it was a great starting point.
What’s next for you?
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I’m gunning as hard as I can for Mute. It’s a homage, in the visual sense, to Bladerunner, but as far as the plot and the feel of it are concerned it’s quite an intimate little thriller. But it’s definitely more commercial in some ways than Moon. It’s going to have more action to it, but it’s still smart, character-driven sci-fi. I want Sam’s character to come back and do a cameo — just to have this epilogue when you get to see what happened to him when he comes back to Earth. That would be interesting.
It sounds like The Man Who Fell to Earth [the Seventies sci-fi flick which starred Bowie]. Is that something you watched?
Because it was my dad, if ever he did something, whether it was music or film, I always felt a bit uncomfortable watching. I’ve started feeling comfortable enough with his work to be able to enjoy it only recently. I have a lot of things to go back through and look at with fresh eyes.
Sam Rockwell has never been better than he is in Moon Sam’s performance is just phenomenal. I don’t think he’ll win, but one thing I keep pushing is that he deserves an Oscar nomination.
Maybe his clone could get Best Supporting Actor ...
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That would be fantastic.
Moon is released on DVD and Blu-ray on Mon