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Articles - CfP Topic

Vol. 10 No. 2 (2024): Escaping the Moment. Time Travel as a Negotiation of Transcendence

Bodies in Space and Time: Time Travel in INTERSTELLAR (Christopher Nolan, US/UK 2014)

DOI
https://doi.org/10.25364/05.10:2024.2.3
Submitted
February 19, 2024
Published
2024-11-14

Abstract

This article discusses the motif of time travel in the science-fiction film Interstellar (Christopher Nolan, US/UK 2014). Time travel is a common motif in modern science-fiction films and series. The discussion here focuses on the anthropological dimensions of time travel from a hermeneutic perspective. Interstellar contains both a climate catastrophe and a technological optimism that enables time travel. The pseudo-scientific time travel is connected with symbols from the Christian tradition. Intriguingly, time travel is portrayed in light of indirect physical communication. From an anthropological perspective, pseudo-scientific time travel reflects and explores identity issues. The crossing of space and time and their simultaneous constraint lead the viewer to reflect on their own cultural life-world. In Interstellar, time travel is a journey into the past that locates the traveler back in the present and brings hope for a better future.