James Franco stars in the new movie ‘127 Hours’, based on the true story of hiker Aron Ralston who was trapped alone in a Utah canyon for five days in 2003. After a loose boulder pinned his arm against a canyon wall, Ralston made the harrowing decision to amputate his own arm with a dull pocketknife in order to survive.
The movie is shot in a realistic, documentary style by Academy-Award winning director, Danny Boyle (‘Slumdog Millionaire’, ‘The Beach’) and features a three-minute amputation scene that many preview audiences have found tough to stomach. When the film was screened at festivals in Telluride, Toronto, and London, there were reports of audience members fainting, vomiting, and having seizures. While some critics have questioned whether these extreme reactions may be an attempt by the studio to generate buzz for the film, the official word from Fox Searchlight is that they are not publicity stunts. Says Fox Searchlight’s co-president Stephen Gilula: “I would prefer that people not pass out; it’s not a plus. [...] We don’t see a particular publicity value in it.”
The film’s creative team has credited Boyle’s unflinching directing style and Franco’s performance as Ralston, as the reasons why audiences are affected so strongly. Says Franco, “I am almost looking into the camera at times and it almost feels like I’m talking to the audience. It’s a very intimate experience. One of the reasons the reaction is so intense is because you’re so invested in the character. When you go to a horror movie, you know the characters are expendable. So you don’t care at the same level.”
‘127 Hours’ is already being talked about as a possible Best Picture contender for this year’s Oscars and Franco’s performance is predicted to garner him a Best Actor nomination. The film opens in select cities on November 5th.
