The concept of Sunshine is the heart of the film. Different themes and avatars of the sun were explored by the makers of the film. In 2057, the Earth is freezing and the sun is dying. A small crew of 8 with a nuclear bomb aboard a spaceship, Icarus II, with the intention to save humanity. On this small team rests the entire fate of humanity and the entire solar system.
The sun is avatar for life but death as well. Capa, the protagonist, gets nightmares of falling into the sun. Cassie experiences the same nightmares too. Searle’s gets obsessed with the sun and the power it holds, to an extent that you can see his flakey skin. The name of the ship Icarus II, and the previous one, Icarus I, are derived from a mythological character who went too close to the sun. The sun is life for humanity and the earth but death for the crew of 8 people who are aware of the fact that they will burn to death if they go closer to the sun.
Sun is also an avatar for spirituality and religion. Boyle, grew up in a religious background and that resonates in his work. Sunshine explores the theme of bowing down to nature and all source of creation. Spirituality constraints language and that is what Capa sees and goes through at the end of the film as it is something beyond rational. The captain of Icarus I perhaps has a religious experience with the sun as he becomes insane or gets enlightened. He sabotages Icarus I, kills everyone and does the same to Icarus II. However, he could also just be Capa’s imagination.
The makers of the film use sun as avatar in an interesting way and I enjoyed watching the film.
