Duncan Jones (who, as David Bowie's son, was once known as Zowie Bowie) makes his directorial debut with this intelligent, poignant science-fiction tale, which calls to mind the very best the genre had to offer in its 1970s heyday. Sam Rockwell gives an excellent performance as Sam Bell, a lone mining engineer stuck incommunicado on the dark side of the Moon and about to complete his three-year contract. His only company is Gerty, a somewhat anodyne robot (voiced by Kevin Spacey), but as time goes on Sam begins to suspect that things, and even he, are not what they seem. The screenplay by Jones and Nathan Parker delicately and intriguingly investigates the themes of loneliness and humanity, and together with Jones's assured direction, makes for a hugely impressive first feature.

With only three weeks left in his three-year contract, Sam Bell is eager to return to Earth. Stationed alone at a Moon-based facility with his computer assistant GERTY, an unexpected accident sets off a series of unsettling events that shake his isolation.