Theme of Gravity

Despite being set in space, the film uses motifs from shipwreck and wilderness survival stories about psychological change and resilience in the aftermath of catastrophe.^{[13][14][15][16]} Cuarón uses Stone to illustrate clarity of mind, persistence, training, and improvisation in the face of isolation and the mortal consequences of a relentless Murphy's Law.^[4] The film incorporates spiritual themes in terms of Stone's daughter's accidental death, the will to survive in the face of overwhelming odds, and the impossibility of rescue.^[14] Calamities occur but only the surviving astronauts see them.^[17]

The impact of scenes is heightened by alternating between objective and subjective perspectives, the warm face of the Earth and the depths of dark space, the chaos and predictability of the debris field, and silence of the vacuum of space with the sound of the score.^[16][18] The film uses very long, uninterrupted shots throughout to draw the audience into the action but contrasts these with claustrophobic shots within space suits and capsules.^[14][19]

Some commentators have noted religious themes in the film.^{[20][21][22][23]} For instance, Fr. Robert Barron of The Catholic Register summarizes the tension between Gravity's technology and religious symbolism. He said, "The technology which this film legitimately celebrates... can't save us, and it can't provide the means by which we establish real contact with each other. TheGanges in the sun, the St. Christopher icon, the statue of Budai, and above all, a visit from a denizen of heaven, signal that there is a dimension of reality that lies beyond what technology can master or access ... the reality of God".^[23]

Human evolution and the resilience of life may also be seen as key themes of Gravity.^{[24][25][26][27]} The film opens with the exploration of space—the climax of human civilization, and ends with an allegory of the dawn of mankind when Dr. Ryan Stone fights her way out of the water after the crash-landing, passing an amphibian, grabs the soil and slowly regains her capacity to stand upright and walk. Director Cuarón said, "She’s in these murky waters almost like an amniotic fluid or a primordial soup. In which you see amphibians swimming. She crawls out of the water, not unlike early creatures in evolution. And then she goes on all fours. And after going on all fours she’s a bit curved until she is completely erect. It was the evolution of life in one, quick shot".^[25] Other imagery depicting the formation of life includes a scene in which Stone rests in an embryonic position, surrounded by a rope strongly resembling an umbilical cord. Stone's return from space, accompanied by meteorite-like debris, may be seen as a hint that elements essential to the development of life on earth may have come from outer space in the form of meteorites.^[28]