127 Hours is a 2010 British-American biographical survival drama film directed, co-written, and produced by Danny Boyle. It stars James Franco as real-life canyoneer Aron Ralston. Based on Ralston’s memoir, he became trapped by a boulder in an isolated slot canyon in Blue John Canyon, southeastern Utah, in April 2003. The film was well received by critics and audiences, and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Franco and Best Picture.

Mountaineer and adventurer Aron Ralston drives to Utah’s Canyonlands National Park for a day of hiking. While climbing down through a narrow canyon, he accidentally slips and falls, with a boulder pinning his arm against the canyon wall. Days after being trapped, he realizes that he has to free his arm if he wants to survive, so he attempts to use his pocket knife to cut off his arm. By using knowledge of torque and applying enough force to his forearm, he breaks the bones, letting him amputate his arm in order to escape. Moments later, he meets a family on a day hike. The family calls for help, and a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter is sent to rescue him. Ralston is saved, and taken to a hospital, where he recovers.

Human beings are social animals, indispensable to other people from whom we get friendship, love, and so on. Family love helps Aron get through the cruel 127 hours. With 127 hours spent helping himself, Aron perceives the true meaning and transformation of life. In the most brutal way, it reveals that the transformation is indestructible and deep in his bones. God will not bring him here for no reasons, and he cannot move out freely or get no way out, but God need him to prove the transformation and distillation of life in some way of ceremony. That is sacrifice. That Aron breaks his arm is the way of his renascence.

The shot and soundtrack of the film are both good. Every minute is vivid and full. James Franco acts really intimately inside himself. Hats off to the film people and the true hero Aron Ralston.

The made-in-China knife.

When Aron uses his pocket knife to cut off his arm, he finds the knife is too blunt. He uses his pocket knife to break into his skin and muscles, but only to bring pains, and the arm keeps untouched. He says, “Listen. Don’t buy the cheap made-in-China multi-tools. I tried to find my Swiss Army knife, but…… This thing came free with a flashlight. The flashlight was a piece of shit, too. I kept it in my truck for emergencies. Not that I’m blaming you, Mom. It was a perfectly great stocking stuffer. There is no way you could have known that I’d get in this kind of trouble.”

In the beginning, when Aron packs things up for the hiking, he searches his Swiss Army knife in the cabinet. His hand nearly touches the Swiss Army knife, but he missed it in a hurry. He believes that if he has the Swiss Army knife on him, he will smoothly cut the arm, and escapes. In the Christmas, his mother gave him the made-in-China flashlight as a present, and there comes free the pocket knife. He keeps it in my truck for emergencies. But when the emergency really comes, the pocket knife doesn’t play the role. This is depressed.

The made-in-China should not be prejudiced.

As the film tells, Aron uses his pocket knife to chip away parts of the boulder in order to free his trapped arm for several hours. Boulder is naturally formed, hard and heavy. After attempts to chip away parts of the boulder for several hours, any kind of knife will become blunt. So, Aron blames it for made-in-China, it is unfair. As an experienced Mountaineer and adventurer, if Aron carefully judges the hour and sizes up the situation to foresee the survival condition, he might not at first chip away parts of the boulder, but cut the arm first. Of course, self-preservation is human instinct. And that Aron choose arm amputation as the final is reasonable. Even though the pocket knife is blunt, he can sharpen the knife conveniently. There is knife stone all around him. The idea probably doesn’t occur to him.

Made in China is one of the most widely recognized symbols in the world. Because of the rapid development and huge industrial manufacturing system, the label can be found on wide range of goods, from clothing to electronic product. Made-in-China is comprehensive goods, which not only concludes material composition, but also cultural elements and humanism connotation. China exports home humanistic culture and commercial civilization to abroad, together with material product export. Made-in-China goods can be found everywhere. Made-in-China goods get rid of the reputation of fake commodities but sophisticated products, cheap but excellent. With its satirical depiction, the film advocates the out-of-date perception of made-in-China goods. It is behind the times, which makes the film more or less a failure when it is really good in motivational self-survival.