A Man on the Moon

What begins as a rather put together looking “human,” ends up turning into a disheveled and depleting clone.  Makeup and performance, two important elements of the mise-en-scene, are carefully chosen to aid in to the progression of the movie, Moon.

Sam Bell starts off as a normal looking guy. His skin looks healthy, his eyes look bright, and he seems as if he takes care of his appearance.  This makeup is purposefully chosen to portray his well-being. It is the beginning of the movie and the part of understanding the movie must have him start in good health. Sam Rockwell, the man who plays Sam Bell, is most likely told to play Bell as a typical human. By acting human-like, we find his character believable and relatable. Bell is supposed come across as normal as possible; only in small, discrete moments do we see his quirky features come out. These moments are what spark our interest and cause us to question his authenticity.

As the movie progresses, we see a change in his makeup and mannerisms. After the discovery of Sam 2, Sam 1 takes a turn for the worse. His makeup is done to show his deteriorating health. His eyes begin to look more sunken and yellowed, his face looks pale, and his wardrobe gets stranger and dirtier. In the pictures below, you can see the side by side comparison of Sam 1 early in the movie to Sam 1 towards the end. With the makeup as a prominent visual aid, his performance only contributes more to the decline of Sam Bell.

With these two elements working in harmony, we are able to see the obvious downfall of the main character. Not only do they manage to do this, but they contribute to some of the deeper meanings of the film. One of the meanings I took away was that “all things must come to an end.” Sam 2 was determined to make it back to earth so that he may have some kind of life there. He told Sam 1 that he, too, could be free. Sam 1 realizes that he does not have much time, so he offers himself as a sacrifice for the lunar accident. Sam 1 knows he can do more good by serving this purpose rather than attempting to escape. In doing so, Sam 2 will live a life on earth (or so we are led to assume) and Sam 3 will continue on harvesting energy on the moon. The makeup and acting add to this by providing the visual aids necessary to convince the audience of Sam 1’s impending end. All components of the mise-en-scene are of high importance to creating this gloomy, dark progression of Moon.