The Science of Survival
When the film Interstellar released, the first thing that came to mind was the science of the black holes, wormholes near planets, as well as the exploration of relativity of time on Miller’s planet. As the film proceeds, what sets the film apart is how these scientific peripeties are tied directly to human emotions, transforming then the ideals of physics into a story about love, loss, and survival. In the magazine Time, the author Jeffrey Kluger describes that Christopher Nolan, the actor of Cooper, carefully worked with a physicist for the movie Interstellar to keep the film scientifically accurate while still communicating powerful emotional themes. “The movie uses real physics not just as a spectacle, but as a metaphor for the weight of time, distance and love” (Kluger, Time). This sends a perspective demonstrating how the science in Interstellar accompanies the emotional journey that intensifies Cooper’s journey of saving humanity.
This balance of science and human emotions is particularly shown in the depiction of time dilation on Miller’s planet, where Cooper finds himself for an important mission. This phenomenon of time dilation illustrates Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, which articulates that in the universe, massive objects exert an important amount of gravitational force that deforms spacetime. Near the black hole Gargantua, which lies Miller's planet, the gravity is so great that time slows itself tremendously, causing time to pass more slowly in a stronger gravitational field. As a result of this, just one hour spent on Miller translates to seven years passed for those back on earth. This principle of science then becomes deeply personal. While Cooper only spends minutes on the planet, years go by for his children on earth. Further highlighting the consequences of the sacrifice taken through his mission. By establishing these human risks in real world physics, Interstellar shows that no amount of intelligence or technology can erase the cost of survival. Survival demands human endurance, both physical and emotional, that it is ultimately a human achievement above anything, not just a scientific one.