Life

Life

Year: 1999

Runtime: 108 min

Language: Spanish

Director: Ted Demme

Budget: $80M

DramaComedyCrime

The film, titled "Kuxlejal," meaning "Life" in the Tsotsil language, explores the struggles of young indigenous people facing despair and desperation. Set against a backdrop of violence, the drama portrays their raw and honest confrontation with high suicide rates within their community. Through shared human experience, they seek to overcome generational and cultural divides, offering a poignant look at resilience and hope.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Life yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – Life (1999)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Life (1999). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

The movie takes place in a contemporary setting where advancements in space exploration and biotechnology have led to significant discoveries. This era symbolizes humanity's ambition to explore outer space and the potential consequences of encountering extraterrestrial life forms.

Location

International Space Station, Mars, Times Square

The movie traverses multiple critical locations, including the International Space Station, a hub of scientific research and exploration in Earth's orbit. Mars serves as the origin of the extraterrestrial life form, Calvin, which adds a layer of cosmic mystery to the narrative. On Earth, Times Square is depicted as a bustling urban center where excitement surrounds the newly discovered Martian sample.

🛰️ Space 🌍 Earth 🔬 Science

Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 18:56

Main Characters – Life (1999)

Meet the key characters of Life (1999), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Rory Adams

Rory Adams, portrayed by Eddie Murphy, is a determined engineer who takes charge during the meteor storm crisis. His bravery in the face of danger showcases his leadership qualities, but ultimately, his efforts lead to tragic consequences. Rory's character embodies the struggle between human ingenuity and the relentless forces of nature.

🚀 Engineer 🦸‍♂️ Hero 📉 Tragic

Dr. Hugh Derry

Dr. Hugh Derry, played by Martin Lawrence, is the enthusiastic biologist whose fascination with Calvin turns into a nightmare. His unwavering curiosity is tested as he confronts the lethal capabilities of the creature he sought to study. Hugh's journey reflects the theme of hubris in scientific exploration, where initial wonderment gives way to horror.

🧬 Biologist 😟 Curious ⚠️ Victim

Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 18:56

Major Themes – Life (1999)

Explore the central themes of Life (1999), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🧪 Discovery

Discovery is a central theme, as the characters delve into the unknown by studying Calvin. It highlights the curiosity that drives humanity to explore and the inherent risks that come with such exploration, especially when dealing with life forms beyond Earth. The theme underscores the excitement and peril of scientific advancements.

⚖️ Survival

Survival emerges as a significant theme as the crew faces existential threats posed by Calvin. Their desperate attempts to escape illustrate the lengths to which individuals will go to protect themselves and each other when confronted with life-and-death situations. The film portrays the struggle to maintain humanity amid overwhelming odds.

🌌 Isolation

Isolation is a pervasive theme within the confines of the International Space Station, where the crew is cut off from Earth during a catastrophic emergency. The emotional and physical isolation faced by the characters emphasizes the challenges of human connection and psychological resilience in extreme conditions.

Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 18:56

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Claustrophobic survival movies like Life

Characters fight for survival in an isolated, inescapable environment against a relentless threat.If you liked the tense, trapped feeling of Life, you'll find similar thrills in these movies. This list features films where characters are confined with a lethal threat, creating a gripping sense of isolation and desperate survival. Explore more movies like Life that master the art of inescapable dread.

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Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread typically begin with a state of normalcy that is violently disrupted, forcing characters into a defensive battle within a limited setting. The plot unfolds as a series of escalating confrontations, with resources dwindling and the threat evolving, often leading to a high body count and a desperate final stand.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared core experience of confinement and immediate peril. They share a high-intensity, fast-paced tone where the setting itself becomes an antagonist, and the primary drama comes from the characters' futile attempts to outlast a superior force.

Sci-fi horror about scientific disaster like Life

A well-intentioned scientific discovery spirals into an unstoppable, species-threatening disaster.For viewers who enjoyed Life's theme of a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong, this list features similar tales of existential dread. Discover movies like Life where human hubris unleashes an unstoppable force, leading to bleak outcomes and profound questions about our place in the universe.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern follows a 'creation turns on creator' arc. Scientists or explorers encounter or create something beyond their understanding, which then rapidly evolves beyond their control. The story chronicles the futile attempts to contain the threat, often culminating in a bleak or ambiguous ending where the danger escapes into the wider world.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their central theme of disastrous unintended consequences stemming from scientific endeavor. They share a heavy emotional weight, a tense tone, and a focus on the moral and existential dread that arises when humanity's tools become its downfall.

Unlock the Full Story of Life

Don't stop at just watching — explore Life in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Life is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Life Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Life, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Life Summary

Life Timeline

Track the full timeline of Life with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Life Timeline

Life Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Life that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Life Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Life

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Life: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Life

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