Voyagers
Journey in search of maturity
Nobody doubts that 2020 was a very difficult year for the cinema industry, not only due to the closing of the theaters, but also for the production of movies, which requires the performance of many people in an environment of proximity. However, some productions managed to be made, and some with a reasonable level of creativity, as is the case with science fiction “Voyagers” (USA, 2021) by Neil Burger.
The story, at first, did not seem very original. A group of astronauts would be sent into space on a trip with several lasting decades to colonize a planet similar to Earth. The difference is that the crew would be made up of thirty children literally born for this trip.
Due to an unexplained situation of Earth’s deterioration, this project had been created to send this group to a distant planet. The children, generated in vitro and kept in artificial wombs, never had contact with the outside world, being educated from an early age for this mission.
The only person with whom they maintained a closer relationship was Richard (Colin Farrell), the scientist who led the project. When the ship was ready, as the crew members were still children, Richard decides to go with them, leaving his life and family behind, on a journey of no return.
Ten years later, the children were already teenagers and fully assumed the functions required to operate the spacecraft. Richard continued as a leader, guiding everyone and keeping the operational command.
Two young people stood out among the others, Christopher (Tye Sheridan) and Zac (Fionn Whitehead). The two, more active and curious, seek to understand not only the details of the mission that awaited them but also any secrets not reported to them. This is how they discovered that a blue liquid that everyone had to drink daily was a sensory inhibitor, making the person more docile and eliminating any sexual desire.
The two decide to stop drinking the liquid, and experience feelings that never had felt before, especially in an age when the hormones are on edge. This creates friction between Zac and Richard, and when he needs to do maintenance outside the ship, he is the victim of a fatal accident.
Desolate, the young crew make an election and choose Christopher as the new leader. This leaves Zac extremely angry, and after revealing to others the purpose of the blue liquid, he leads a rebel group that takes possession of the ship.
With the help of Sela (Lily-Rose Depp) and a few members who stood by him, Christopher tries to find out what had killed Richard, whether it was some mysterious alien or worse, one of them. The truth will soon be revealed, but the rampant instinct of a gang of young people with no adults threatens the very existence of the group.
Perhaps it was a coincidence, but the composition of the cast seemed quite appropriate for this time of pandemic, since practically the only adult on the scene was Colin Farrell. The young cast, however, already had enough experience in films and series. Tye Sheridan had previously acted in “Ready Player One” (USA, 2018) and “Dark Phoenix” (USA, 2019). Fionn Whitehead had acted in “Dunkirk” (USA, 2017) and “The Children Act” (USA, 2017). Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny Depp and French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis, had also acted in “The Dancer” (“La danseuse ”, FRA, 2016) and “Crisis” (USA, 2021), proving to be so versatile as her parents.
The movie impresses with the scenery, almost always inside the spaceship, with many graphic effects, always looking like an industrial laboratory. I was even more curious to learn that all the filming was done in Romania, where one imagines vampire castles and not sci-fi environments.
This movie seems to be a very personal project by director Neil Burger, who also signs the script. Burger has intimacy with both science fiction as young actors, having already directed the great “Divergent” (USA, 2014).
“Voyagers” is an interesting film, which deviates a little from the traditional sci-fi line of recent times. More than a space adventure, the film raises interesting questions about the behavior of men when free from authority, but giving vent to the most basic instincts of human nature.