“Gravity” is a movie that lives up to its double-entendre title, while both meanings of the word in the film’s context may leave you breathless. Not only does one feel the full weight of the situation of two astronauts stranded in outer space after debris damages their vessel, but the meticulously designed camera work also conveys the feeling of weightlessness for its entire 90-minute running time.

Simply put, “Gravity” is a pure cinematic delight.

I’ve seen the opening shot of the movie–in which a fluid camera revolves around veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) and newbie Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) as they float in the open space around their space shuttle–described as anywhere from 13 to 20 minutes. I didn’t have a timer going, but either way, it’s a feat of immense proportions.

More than just a technical achievement for director Alfonso Cuarón and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, the shot is completely immersive, not to mention a wonder to behold in 3D–a format that requires enough time for the depth to come into focus between cuts. There is such detail in every frame that this is one movie you need to see in on the big screen to get the full effect.

This filmmaking strategy of long, uninterrupted takes is employed throughout the movie and is light years away from the modern action film, which relies on quick edits and a noisy soundtrack to create chaos. Although the score by Steven Price is used frequently to ramp up the suspense, when complete silence is employed in “Gravity,” it is terrifying.

Alfonso and his co-screenwriter and son Jonás Cuarón did lots of research, taking great pains to make the technology and situations–which do not rely on anything futuristic–as realistic as possible, so I hesitate to even call this a science-fiction movie. More importantly, lurking under the simple conceit of its survival-tale premise is something more.

“Gravity” is the story of a damaged woman who feels untethered in her own life. As the camera seamlessly inhabits Bullock’s point-of-view for long stretches of time, it’s important that the audience identify with her as a person, not just her instinct to survive.

As a thriller, “Gravity” is in a class by itself, creating tension and action without the aid of the usual bag of tricks. (Explosions, for example, don’t make a sound in space.) As a technical achievement, it’s also unparalleled, combining the beautiful imagery and feel of floating of outer space with CGI that is so well integrated, it never seems like a special effect.

Its depiction of courage, however, also leaves a lasting impression. Extraordinary circumstances require equally extraordinary behavior–and split-second decision-making. Stone and Kowalski display moments of heroism when it is required of them, but Cuarón doesn’t milk them for sentimentality. The little triumphs are always tempered by huge moments of melancholy and doubt, because there is always some more harrowing danger just around the corner.

Friends of the Kaw brings the Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2013 to Liberty Hall on Friday, October 11 with a two-and-a half hour program that begins at 7:30. The festival, started in 1983 by a Nevada City, Calif.-based group called the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), revolves around themes of environmental activism with the hope of inspiring others to action.

A series of short films from around the world will be shown and discussed, including:

“Generation Green” – A young Australian chemical engineer faces a personal moral crisis when his work at an oil refinery wakes him up to the idea of environmental responsibility.

“Eyes in the Forest: The Portraiture of Jim Lawrence” – This experimental film offers startling views of the landscape and wildlife in a remote mountain range in British Columbia, as its director and the profiled photographer converse about their art.

“Eric Carle: Picture Writer, The Art of the Picture Book” – This 30-minute documentary is a portrait of children’s writer Eric Carle, whose nature-themed books (such as “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”) have stoked the imagination and hearts of young people for generations.

“How the Kids Saved the Parks” – Due to budget cuts, the state of California announced plans to close 7 state parks in 2011. A group of kids who regularly use the parks for recreation and school field trips banded together to help save the park, and this is their story.