Summary: Astronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, working alongside his computer, GERTY, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet’s power problems.
Director: Duncan Jones
Stars: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique McElligott
Duration: 97 min.
Themes: loneliness, identity, loyalty, future
This film is an ideal pick if you want to let your students discuss what the future could look like and whether they agree with all of the progress that has so far taken place. Because of the plot line, one could even organise an actual debate concerning the ethical principles of modern day technology. The film shows some unethical practices, without showing gruesome images, which makes it usable in younger class groups as well.
Moon is also great to use when you want to show the importance of certain film techniques such as use of colour, sound, camera angles, zoom, etc. Having outer space as a setting is ideal for showing examples of all of the above.
Finally, one could also discuss the fact that we only hear Kevin Spacey, since he plays the part of a robot. A fun creative activity to carry out in class could be to act out a short dialogue between a human and a robot (played by two seperate students).
Films in the classroom 