Once again, Boyle worked on a film in which he explores the dynamics of a group of outsiders. In this case, eight astronauts are forced to cohabit in a claustrophobic environment for the greater good of humanity. It was interesting that the cast, and thus the crew of the ship, was multinational. Nevertheless, their backgrounds and nationalities were not explored nor exploited; leaving untouched a rather interesting undertone of the story. The final message of Sunshine tries to present philosophical questions about a greater power and the figure of God. Thus, Boyle could have delved into the different ways in which people, based on their cultural background, interact with the concept of God, destiny, and greater power. No matter how globalized the world might be by 2057, exclusive traces of culture and religion will continue to run in the veins of different populations. Even if imperceptible during everyday life, such traces unavoidably come to the surface when people are faced with critical situation like the crew in Sunshine.
The fact that they are in space rather than on Earth does not make these people any less human, and thus Boyle was extremely simplistic by sustaining that “there’s no nationality in space, there are no national issues in space” (115). There must be because nationality is an irremovable package like one’s past. In fact, such argument becomes invalid by the fact that Boyle chose an Asian actor with a marked accent to be the one responsible for the collapse of the ship. It is as if Boyle took such casting decision in a subconscious level. He explained that “in fifty years time, it’s the Asian economies that will be paying for it and they’ll probably be leading the technologies as well” (114). Thus, he is contradicting himself and making a rather political statement by choosing an Asian to be the unreliable crewmember while the American, once again, saves the world.
The film leads to a conclusion that is too self-conscious. In a world post 9/11, the questions and fears regarding religious fanaticism are fresh and present in everyone’s minds. Thus, the fact that the mission becomes a fight against a delusive killer who might or might not have had an epiphany and talked to God, seemed to exploit in a superficial and simplistic way the very complex and delicate issue of terrorism. Few of the words spoken by the sunburned intruder explain his mission: “for several years I spoke with God. He told me to take us all to the end.” It is quite ironic that for a film that supposedly does not believe in national issues, its ending is intimately tied to them.
Moreover, up to this point, the images of the film were somewhat believable and realistic. However, as soon as the unstoppable killer is revealed, the story and aesthetics took a turn that ruined all the previous work. The characters fight in a paranormal cube that even if claustrophobic looks infinite, breaking the rules of logic imposed by the film.
