*** outta ******

3 outta 5

Clara is a really moving, if somewhat cliché ridden, science fact based fiction film. It tells the viewer a lot about the science about finding life in the universe in a fairly easy to understand manner and only sometimes descends into scientific astronomical gobbledegook. But it wraps its science ideas in a heartwarming love story even if that love story feels cobbled together from a whole lot of indie movie clichés. The sci-fi part comes in way, way later that is almost incongruous with the astronomy and math stuff. Although the core cliché that love is the most powerful thing in the universe was basically done before and much better in Interstellar a few years ago. Still, emotionally it works and the performances by the two leads are very solid which give it a pass.

Isaac (Patrick J. Adams) is a University professor who teaches his students about the probability of life on other planets. One day he diverts a facility satellite which causes his dismissal from campus. The fact that he also spends lectures somewhat bitterly telling his students that it’s more probable to find life on other planets than true love also probably doesn’t help matters.  Stuck at home, he finds out about a satellite that is searching for Earth-like planets and he pours over volumes of data. But he needs an assistant, yet he can’t offer any pay, just room and board. In walks a woman named Clara (Troian Bellisario) who doesn’t know anything about astronomy but she has a plucky attitude and boundless enthusiasm. And a dog. And she clearly needs a place to stay because as Isaac quickly realizes she is obviously a homeless drifter. Still, he puts her to work looking over data to find an Earth-like planet. He also gets assistance from his professor buddy Charlie (Ennis Esmer) and, very problematically, Isaac’s ex-wife Rebecca (Kristen Hager from Alien vs. Predator: Requiem). Surprisingly, he finds something probable in the data a mere 22 light years away and while Isaac thinks he’s back on easy street, fate has other plans.

The core debate of the movie is a standard yet still dramatically valid science versus faith debate which has been fueling sci-fi for decades. The movie isn’t about faster than light travel in Interstellar or even something like Arrival with aliens arriving on Earth. There’s a scene here which is effective where Isaac explains to Clara about how to look at the data; whenever there is a dip in a light pattern, it could be a planet. It makes the audience feel smarter like they’re playing along. Sometimes the science talk in the movie makes plain sense although in other moments it descends into technobabble. 

While the sci-fi stuff isn’t really splashy it does seem plausible for the most part. There’s a bit later when Clara encourages Isaac to basically use the Force and sense a location on a projected star map that is very nicely done from a filmmaking perspective but kind of goes against the movie’s stylistic ethos of realism. Also the final 20 minutes goes very much into sci-fi which seems a bit of a hard right turn from what the movie has been about tonally. But, happily, co-writer/director Akash Sherman manages to work the emotional beats exceptionally well. Sometimes the movie feels padded out with montages. There’s a whole sequence where Isaac is pouring over scientific data while Clara goes out dancing which is …. kind of nice but not exactly important. Still the colourful, warm cinematography by Nick Haight and the moody music by Jonathan Kawchuck manages to make even small moments seem soaring.

Clara occasionally feels like a science lecture wrapped in a conventional love story. The title character of Clara herself is something of a Manic Pixie Girl cliché as she’s just a free spirit who likes rocks and wandering around and thinking about life and art and stuff. She is directly opposed to Isaac who is all about science. His introductory scene is really good where he lays some hard truths on his idealistic students that, if one does the math, true love is impossible. Adams basically plays Isaac as an emotionally stunted science guy who bitterly snaps about love and faith and puts all his attention into numbers and data. This is not a very deep character yet Adams adds a sense of pathos which works in the movie’s closing scenes. Esmer as his buddy professor is sort of the comic relief exposition guy with a few good moments like when he immediately and angrily chews out Isaac and then belatedly and awkwardly greets Clara afterwards. Hager as the ex-wife is more of a plot point than an actual character but she does seem sympathetically concerned for Isaac. The reason why they broke up is sketched out in brief, heartbreaking details which are dramatic if, once again, a bit easy and on the nose dramatically.

For a movie that is about logical, cold scientific fact Clara really wears its heart on its sleeve. The push and pull between logic and heart is an old standby in sci-fi but it’s solid. While Clara doesn’t really do anything new with contrasting spirit and facts it does so very well.