Synopsis for
Sunshine (2007)

The crew of the Icarus 2 are sent into deep space to reignite the sun, after the failure of the first mission, Icarus 1. It takes nearly seven years for them to reach close proximity to the sun, as mentioned in the introduction voice over by Robert Capa [Cillian Murphy]. As the ship nears the sun. solar noise known as "the [communications] dead zone" begins to interfere with radio communications to Earth. As the ship encountered the "Dead Zone" seven days earlier than expected, the crew is now left with just 24 hours to collect all of their individual thoughts and send each of them off to their loved ones in a last message "packet".

Capa has difficulty in finding his words, and makes several different attempts at his message, accidentally "running out the clock" on fellow crew member Mace. This results in a fight between Capa and Mace, which lingers as open animosity between the two.

The Ship has an Oxygen Garden to provide both food and carbon to oxygen recycling during the trip. It is noted that while the ship is only about 2/3rds of the way to its destination (the sun), the garden has been producing oxygen at better than expected rates - the ship already has enough oxygen stored up for the delivery, and a quarter of the return trip.

The crew Psychiatrist, Dr. Searle [Cliff Curtiss], is looking out from the ship's viewport at the approaching sun one day, and is curious what it would be like to experience the unfiltered view. The ships computer warns him that he can only tolerate 3.1 percent of the actual light, so he accepts this and sets the system for 30 seconds of viewing at this 3.1% rate. The result has some kind of effect on Searle, who begins to spend many hours in the viewing room, repeating his exposures to the sun so often that his skin eventually peels away and sores cover his face. It is never clear to the audience if Dr. Searle is possibly addicted to this exposure, possibly believing it to bring some form of enlightenment, or is perhaps trying to determine if visualizing the star was a possible reason for the demise of Icarus 1's mission. Throughout the movie, you can see Searle's continuing deterioration from spending too much time looking at the sun.

While we are uncertain as to Dr. Searle's motives in staring at the impending star, we are clearly aware that the ship's Captain, Kanada, has been researching the Icarus 1's logs in an attempt to discover what went wrong, and thereby prevent his crew from making the same errors.

As the crew travels past Mercury, they unexpectedly pick up a signal from the Icarus 1's distress beacon, only hearing the faint signal because it was able to bounce off the iron in Mercury's mass. Emphasizing that some of those aboard Icarus 1 could still be alive, Captain Kaneda [Hiroyuki Sanada] explains this point to the crew, and begins a discussion as to whether the current mission should be altered in order to check on the Icarus 1 distress beacon. Mace is not happy with the choice to divert from their original mission, since, as he puts it, "Our mission is to deliver the payload to the nearest star, because it is dying. And if it dies, we all die." Dr. Searle says that he agrees with Mace's assessment, but adds that diverting to the icarus 1 could possibly add a second "payload" (bomb). He argues that since the Icarus bombs have never existed before, and therefore have never been actually detonated before, their existence is "entirely theoretical", and having 2 could be advantageous if something went wrong with the first one. There is further heated discussion, which Captain Kaneda finally breaks off- handing the decision to the ships Physicist, Capa.

Capa is troubled by being asked to make this decision. He explains to the captain that he simply doesn't have enough information to make an informed and rational decision, and the best he can do is to "flip a coin". When Kaneda asks "So, heads or tails", Capa replies "Heads: two last best chances are better than one last best chance".

Capa's decision is finalized by the captain: the Icarus's will rendevous. The ships Navigation Officer, a brilliant child prodigy named Trey, plots the course, checks it three separate times, and satisfied he has been accurate, shifts the Icarus's course to intercept the Icarus 1. In the many calculations, Trey misses one - the need to readjust the heat sheild that is keeping the shjip alive. This error is discovered when there is an emergency declared by the computer after slight damage to the heat sheild results from Trey's mistake.

The true extent of the damage can only be assessed, and then repaired, buy leaving the ship and working directly in space. Captain Kaneda asks for a volunteer to accompany himself, and after refusing to allow the second in command to join him, Capa is "volunteered" by Mace - this is Mace's way of stating that the current events are a direct result of Capas decision to alter the original mission, and the "volunteering is clearly made in anger and not by deciding if Capa was the best man for the job. Nevertheless, Capa accepts the implicit challenge, and Kaneda agrees to let him accompany him on the repairs spacewalk.

As Kaned and Capa exit the ship to begin repairs, the ships Pilot, Cassie, moves the Icarus's position so as to provide the two spacewalking astronauts as much "shade" she can provide. She does this knowing it will result in the loss of the two communications towers needed to return to Earth later. Her attempt to help results in catastrophe when the burning particles of the communications towers fall into the Oxygen Garden, igniting a flame that now threatens not only the garden, but the entire ship itself. Mace, thinking quickly, realizes that the garden is lost no matter what happens, so he orders the computer to release all the stored oxygen in the tanks, to provide such an enormous boost to the fire that it will literally "blow itself out" (this very same technique is actually used on oil platforms from time to time). The decision was the right one: the Garden is completely and utterly destroyed, but the ship itself has been left relatively unscathed due to his heroic actions.

When the fire breaks out in the garden, the Icarus begins take automatic control of the ship, attempting to return the heatshield (which due to Cassie is now protecting the two astronauts from being vaporized by mere direct exposure to the sun). Cassie realizes that this manuever will result in the death of the two spacewalkers, ans she countermands the order. But the computer refuses to be ignored: as far as the ship is concerned, the mission is in jeopardy, and it will do *anything* it can in order to optimize it's chance of success - even killing the two most important astronauts. Cassie and the computer fight over control for a few moments, with Cassie eventually demanding the right to control through the use of a special override command which requires that two different people issue it. Cassie issues hers, and then turns to Mace to have him do the same, but he won't - he believes the mission to far outweigh the two astronauts. When mace refuses to go along, Cassie pleas with the Communications officer, "Harvey". Harvey immediately issues his half of the order, and this Icarus begins to move back into position to safeguard the two astronauts, by providing maximum possible shadow. Then Mace call the Captain, and asksif the Captain beleives this is the right thing to do, by asking Kaneda to support his countermanding the order just issued by Carrie and Harvey - a move that will almost certainly result in the death of at least one of the two.

Kaneda agrees with Mace, and the computer is told to ignore Cassie's order and to proceed with the mission, which it does.

As the ship begins to lose cover for the two astronauts, Kaneda orders Capa to go back to the ship, as he patches the last of the heatshield damage by himself. Capa complies, and shortly after, Kaneda fixes the remaining damage, and then meets his demise with exposure to the sun. The crew are all VERY depressed over this.

Because of the loss of their oxygen garden they now have no choice but to intercept Icarus 1. Trey blames himself and is put on suicide watch. Searle, Capa, Mace, and Harvey [Troy Garity] aboard the Icarus 1. They find that there is enough food to last, a flourished oxygen garden, and a workable payload. However, there has been an error to the conditioning unit that will not allow the ship to move. All crew members are found burned to death in the viewing room. The port connecting the Icarus 1 to the Icarus 2 is broken off, having been sabotaged with. They find one suit that would let Capa go back to Icarus 2. Searle stays to manually open the shafts while Harvey and Mace use lining of the ship to cover themselves with so they can hold onto Capa as he is shot towards the Icarus 2 and thus make it in themselves. During the actual shooting, Harvey falls out into outer space and is frozen. His body can be seen being broken apart when it flies into the ship. Mace suffers frostbite and lives.

As the Icarus 2 leaves the Icarus 1, Searle enters the viewing room to prepare for his death. When Icarus 2 leaves, there will be no shield from the sun. He burns to death like the other crew of Icarus 1.

Corazon [Michelle Yeoh] calculates how much oxygen they have and how much they need to complete the mission. She concludes there is enough for four people to live to the delivery of the payload. It is decided Mace will kill Trey but when he goes to, he finds Trey had "committed suicide". He blames Capa for all of the deaths and the two once again fight.

In the payload room, Icarus 2 tells Capa there is not enough oxygen for them to live until they deliver the payload. He says that Corazon did the math and himself, Corazon, Mace, and Cassie [Rose Byrne] should have enough to last. He claims there are four crew members but Icarus 2 says there are 5 and one is unknown. Capa learns the location of the fifth on the ship and finds it is Captain Pinbacker of the Icarus 1. He is terribly burnt everywhere on his body. It is said that Pinbacker sabotaged the Icarus 1 because it goes against God. He slices a wound in Capa's chest and chases him in the ship.

Pinbacker sabotages the cooling unit just as he did on Icarus 1. In commentary on the DVD it is said that Pinbacker also murdered Trey. He finds Corazon in the oxygen room as she finds a tiny leaflet and subsequently kills her. Mace goes into the cooling unit to fix the Icarus 2's mainframe. He eventually freezes and is caught in the machine. He dies.

Capa divides the living quarters from the payload and goes into the payload to manually ignite it. There he is confronted by Pinbacker one last time. He ignites the payload and there is a scene with him finding peace as he accepts his death and stares into the flames of the sun. All of the crew have now died.

Back on Earth, Capa's sister and her children are outside in a park covered with snow as she watches the last message sent to her by Capa. The sun is seen breaking through the clouds showing they succeeded in their mission.