A visionary sci-fi title to bid farewell to the year

At a time when matinee sessions in cinemas are being lost, Phenomena Room offers us to say goodbye to the year with a matinee of a Stanley Kubrick classic, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

This sci-fi story premiered in 1986, leading the way for decades of projects that would follow in the footsteps of this title. Based on meticulously researched and documented scientific predictions (some became true; others did not) and showcasing various philosophical and metaphysical theories, Kubrick's production took more than two years to take shape since the start of the project.

Abans de res, la pel·lícula, que es projecta en 4K, és una experiència visual majestuosa, molt diferent de qualsevol pel·lícula que s'hagués vist fins a aquell moment. Partint d'un equip de 36 dissenyadors tècnics, que representaven 12 països, i treballant en associació amb 40 empreses científiques de recerca industrial d'Europa i els Estats Units, Kubrick va intentar mostrar-nos d'una forma realista i científica el futur immediat de l'exploració espacial i la primera trobada de l'home amb vida extraterrestre. 

First and foremost, the film, shown in 4K, is a majestic viewing experience, unlike any film seen to date. Starting with a team of 36 technical designers, representing 12 countries, and working in association with 40 scientific industrial research companies from Europe and the U.S., Kubrick tried to portray the immediate future of space exploration and man's first encounter with extraterrestrial life in a realistic and scientific way.

Kubrick and Clarke — the latter, a former president of the British Interplanetary Society and one of the world's most renowned science fiction and reality writers — spent a total of 2,400 hours developing the script. To develop as many aspects as possible, they first wrote the story as a novel.

The film follows a scientist who arrives at an advanced space station to investigate reports of findings indicating the presence of intelligent life on the moon. We follow his journey showing what life would be like in this advanced station, discovering details endowed with a great sense of humour, including how to use the bathroom. The society of the future is complex; dehumanized. When the origin of this monolith is discovered, a crew is sent, in hibernation, to Jupiter after the strange monolith, buried by the ancient inhabitants of the moon and unearthed by space geologists, sends a mysterious signal towards that planet. The responsibility for the ship's long voyage rests with HAL 9000, a computer created by men to reason logically and infallibly.

HAL is artificial intelligence. But when they become a threat and the crew discusses their possible disengagement, the computer goes out of control and launches a series of systematic killings among the crew until one of them is finally able to neutralize them.

Eventually, a much-desired encounter with various forms of extraterrestrial life will take place, presented in a dreamlike manner.

The film is screened in O.V. with Spanish subtitles, but the dialogue is minimal, with much of the film concentrating in detail on the function of its futuristic designs, shown with selected music from the works of Johann Strauss and Richard Strauss.

Tickets for this special screening can be purchased here.