"Gravity" has become a bona fide Oscar contender, with much of that buzz thanks to the incredible performance by Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone. She spends most of her screen time alone, stranded in space with little hope of survival.
In one of the film's most pivotal scenes, Stone makes contact with someone on Earth while floating around in a Russian Soyuz capsule. However, the static radio reception is met on the other end by a man speaking in a foreign language and the sounds of a barking dog and crying baby. This exchange serves as a major cathartic moment for Bullock's character, so if anyone was wondering who the mystery man was, look no further than the new short film “Aningaaq.”
Jonas Cuaron, co-writer of “Gravity” and son of its director, Alfonso Cuaron, has written and directed the short companion piece to the $500 million-grossing space odyssey. Orto Ignatiussen plays the title character of Aningaaq, an Inuit fisherman stationed on a remote fjord in Greenland. And while Stone is desperately seeking help in space, Aningaaq is upset over his dying dog back on Earth.
With a budget of $100,000, “Aningaaq” was initially meant to be an extra feature on the “Gravity” Blu-ray edition, but Warner Bros. is now submitting it for Oscar consideration in the Live-Action Short category. If both films are nominated, it'll be the first time a feature and its spin-off are honored in the same year.
Check out the 7-minute short film above to see Sandra's climactic scene from the other side.
