The Midnight Sky (2020)
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An aging scientist in a remote Arctic base must warn a returning spacecraft about a global catastrophe that has left Earth's surface contaminated.
The story
In 2049, an event has obliterated most of Earth's population, leaving the surface contaminated with ionizing radiation. Augustine Lofthouse, a reclusive academic, is the only person inhabiting a large Arctic base. Suffering from a serious illness and experiencing mental blackouts, Lofthouse searches the base's computer systems for active crewed space missions to warn about the situation on Earth. He discovers only one: the interplanetary craft Aether, returning from an exploration of Jupiter's habitable moon K-23. Lofthouse struggles to establish contact with the ship as his antenna proves too weak to reach them.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 2049, Earth is ravaged by a global catastrophe, leaving the surface contaminated with ionizing radiation. Augustine Lofthouse, a scientist with a terminal illness, lives alone in a remote Arctic base. He discovers the interplanetary craft Aether is returning from Jupiter's moon K-23 and attempts to warn them of the disaster. While struggling with mental blackouts and a kitchen fire, he finds a young mute girl he believes is named Iris. He travels with her to a base with a stronger antenna, but loses his equipment in an accident. He eventually makes contact with the Aether crew, but an asteroid field damages their systems. Mission specialist Sully, who is pregnant, manages to repair the ship but is caught in another asteroid field, fatally injuring flight engineer Maya. Sully contacts Lofthouse, urging him to tell the crew not to return to Earth but to start a new life on K-23. The pilot, Tom Mitchell, initially refuses but eventually agrees to go to the moon after seeing the state of Earth's atmosphere. In a final communication, Sully reveals she is Iris Sullivan, the daughter of Lofthouse's former lover. Lofthouse reveals he knew her name all along and that the girl he had been seeing was a hallucination. He falls out of contact as Sully describes K-23, transporting him there in his imagination.
- First release year
- 2020
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- George Clooney
- Writers
- Mark L. Smith · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- George Clooney · Augustine Lofthouse; Felicity Jones · Sully; David Oyelowo · Commander Adewole; Tiffany Boone · Iris Sullivan; Demián Bichir · Sanchez; Kyle Chandler · Tom Mitchell; Caoilinn Springall · Maya
- Genres
- science fiction; drama
- Themes
- isolation; humanity's expansion; sacrifice; mental health
- Tone and mood
- dystopian; grim; hopeful
- Premise and plot tags
- post-apocalyptic; space adventure; science fiction drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton (2016)
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising its ambition and emotional tone while others found it frustrating or slow. It was named one of the ten best films of 2020 by the National Board of Review.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 58 · scale: 100 · review count: 42
- Awards and nominations
- Best Visual Effects · Academy Awards · 93rd · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was the most-watched film on Netflix over its first five days.; The film was seen by 72 million households during its first week.; The film was shot with Arri Alexa 65 cameras with the intent of screening it in IMAX theatres, which never occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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