12- Jenna K: The Value of Family in Interstellar

Interstellar is widely considered one of the greatest movies ever made, and it is my personal favorite movie of all time. It tackles the incredibly complex scientific theories of the universe while still maintaining a focus on family values, sacrifice and humanity. Interstellar follows Cooper, a man living with his two children in a post dust bowl-like time. The earth is so dry that growing crops has become impossible, and people are beginning to suffocate in their own atmosphere. The plot truly begins when Cooper is faced with a life changing decision to make; leave his kids behind to save all of humanity, or stay with them and accept the inevitable extinction of the human race. Cooper is presented with the opportunity to travel into space to find another habitable planet or galaxy to save all of mankind. Making this choice to save all of humanity comes with the risk of possibly never seeing his family again, but Cooper decides to go forward with the mission and leave his children behind for the greater good. As Cooper and his crew move deeper and deeper into other galaxies, black holes, and wormholes, they realize that time is moving much slower than it does back on Earth. Cooper must watch as his children grow older and older every time they transmit video clips to his space craft. In a heartbreaking montage, Cooper watches clips from his son as he grows up, gets married, has children, and faces the devastating obstacles of adult life. Cooper remains the same age throughout the entire movie, yet his children end up growing elderly due to the difference of time. As the audience watches Cooper mourn the loss of opportunity to raise his children into adulthood, we find ourselves realizing the true weight of his sacrifice. Cooper left his family behind, but he did it in order to seek out a better life for them and the generations of people after them. He threw his entire life as he knew it away to improve everyone else's. His character teaches us that sometimes we must make incredible sacrifices for those we love. In addition to this, the movie also preaches the value of family. Cooper makes it his mission to create a better life for his children, and in her adulthood, his daughter Murphy makes it her life goal to figure out where her father went and to finish what he started. Although this entire movie plot is incredibly far-fetched, we can still picture ourselves in the shoes of Cooper and Murph. The unconditional love for family drives us to do crazy things, and I think that is the true essence of Interstellar. Word count: 445