Space has always been a very intriguing place full of unknown wonders. But just because it is full of a collection of beautiful stars and marvelous nebulas doesn’t mean it’s a safe place to be. In fact, we’ve seen how dangerous it can be when space explorers encounter deadly aliens or real-life dangers like running out of oxygen. The latter is the basis for Netflix’s forthcoming film, “Stowaway.”
A crew on a two-year mission to Mars finds an unintended stowaway (Shamier Anderson) aboard their ship in the film. It turns out he is a life support engineer who was accidentally left behind when the ship launched. Though the crew (Anna Kendrick, Toni Collette, and Daniel Dae Kim) acclimate him to living in space by educating and training him about the mission, they discover that he “accidentally causes severe damage to the spaceship’s life support systems.”
This discovery forces the crew to conclude that in order for them to survive, one of them must make the ultimate sacrifice. Of course, it’s not going to be an easy decision as they must decide what is worth more to them, the life of an accidental stowaway or their lives.
Here’s the official plot synopsis for “Stowaway:”
On a mission headed to Mars, an unintended stowaway accidentally causes severe damage to the spaceship’s life support systems. Facing dwindling resources and a potentially fatal outcome, the crew is forced to make an impossible decision.
Joe Penna directs, using a script that was written by himself and Ryan Morrison. And this wouldn’t be the first time that Penna has helmed a survival drama. The Brazilian filmmaker directed “Arctic,” starring Mads Mikkelsen, which saw the actor as a survivor of a plane crash stranded in the Arctic Circle.
It’s actually refreshing to see that the source of the space dramas are not aliens or other creatures, but something a little bit more grounded. The trailer makes it pretty clear that the damage caused by the unintended stowaway isn’t something like sabotage or a wrong flick of the switch, but his mere presence. That’s because the amount of oxygen in the ship was set for a crew of three, not four. So just having that one extra person puts the lives of the crew in danger. Now we will have to see who draws the short straw and has to sacrifice themselves for the rest of the crew to live. And if it comes down to drawing straws, I’ll be very surprised.
“Stowaway” debuts on Netflix on April 22, 2021.
Photos courtesy of Netflix
