Returnal vs Gravity: Symbolism of Trauma and Rebirth | A Cutscene Collective Video Essay

Explore the powerful symbolism and narrative parallels between Gravity and Returnal. From Dr. Ryan Stone’s journey of survival in Gravity to Selene’s struggle with trauma in Returnal, we examine how both narratives depict the cycle of overcoming loss and facing inner demons.

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Today, on Cutscene Collective, I’m diving into the 2013 film Gravity and the 2021 video game Returnal. Both pieces of media were my movie and game of the year when they were released.

They share obvious similarities; both female lead and action-sci-fi pieces of work. 

On a surface level, you could enjoy both narratives literally. But going deeper, you could also appreciate both narratives on a figurative level. 

Here you’ll find two stories that share the connective tissue of darkness and rebirth; journeys that force their protagonists into an existential crucible, with underlying currents of guilt, trauma, and the quest for redemption.

Returnal and Gravity are, at their core, stories that amplify emotional truths through symbols and signs. This video is about analyzing those signs, and understanding how film and a video game utilise symbolism to tell a story of loss and resilience.

Before we continue, we will be getting straight into deep space spoiler territory. 

Setting. Character. Conflict.

Both Returnal and Gravity are set in environments that are as breathtaking as they are hostile. Gravity opens on Dr. Ryan Stone, played by Sandra Bullock, a medical engineer with minimal space experience who finds herself detached from her spacecraft and spiralling alone in the void. It’s a classic space thriller setup, but it’s also much more—in Gravity, Stone’s journey becomes an exploration of inner space, as much as it’s about her survival in outer space. 

Meanwhile, Returnal introduces Selene, an astronaut with a complex past, who crash-lands on the alien planet Atropos. Like Stone, Selene is isolated, confronted by unknown dangers, and forced into a relentless fight for survival.

But Returnal’s gameplay mechanic reveals a deeper meaning: each time Selene dies, she reawakens, looping back to the crash. Here, the literal obstacle of escaping Atropos merges with this physical and mental cycle she’s seemingly doomed to repeat, until she finds a way to break it.

Both characters are astronauts—both women facing loneliness and fear in alien landscapes. Even if the monsters they fight take different forms, both characters face conflict and are ultimately on a journey to face their pasts. 

Space. Solitude.

In both stories, space is more than just a physical setting—it’s a visual metaphor for solitude and guilt. In Gravity, Stone’s venture into space is a symbolic escape from Earth, a self-imposed exile due to the tragic loss of her daughter. 

Space is isolation. 

Stone has removed herself from the ‘gravity’ of her past. Her very name, Stone might suggest that she’s now cold, hardened, and unreachable, as grief now weighs herself and others around her down.

Contrast this with Returnal, where the alien planet of Atropos is as much a psychological prison as a physical one. Selene’s endless loop of death and rebirth symbolizes how she’s trapped within her psyche, reliving past traumas.

Atropos and the power behind the planet, won’t let her escape, or forget, and it becomes a space where memories, regrets, and echoes of her life manifest in distorted, surreal ways, each biome a fragmented piece of her mind. 

Here in Returnal, space is purgatory.

Chaos. Adversity.

In Gravity, Stone is on a spacewalk to service the Hubble Space Telescope when the destruction of a Russian satellite causes a cloud of debris to orbit around the Earth.

Stone is surrounded by obstacles, and each impact is a reminder of her vulnerability.

The killer debris, chaotic, and lethal, mimics a swarm of locusts - a biblical curse symbolising overwhelming destruction, divine judgment, and the impossibility of escape from punishment. 

The debris orbits the Earth—the spectre of past trauma coming back to haunt her, an unrelenting force of nature that will keep on returning, reminding her that even in isolation she won’t be able to escape from her inner demons.

In Returnal, Atropos is filled with monstrous manifestations, each enemy encounter representing Selene’s internal battles. The Exomorphs, twisted alien creatures, take on a metaphorical role similar to Gravity's debris: unavoidable confrontations with her unresolved issues. Shooting aliens in the face is more than just a fun video game mechanic, it now represents an inescapable confrontation of trauma—there is never a time when Atropos isn’t against you, and the only thing to do is to push on and fight.

This sense of chaos is heightened with every encounter, and every death—every time Selene ‘resets,’ she’s reminded of her own failings and her inability to break free from the past. Will she learn from her mistakes? Will she be better this time? Will you?

Tethers. Lifelines.

Both narratives use tethers to represent connection—and disconnection. In Gravity, this early scene, becomes a metaphor for Stone’s separation from her life, her remaining tether to Earth symbolically severed.

In the wake of it, anxiety, panic and despair as she spins out of control, abandoned, and disconnected from safety. Eventually, Lieutenant Matt Kowalski played by ​​George Clooney, saves her, a friend coming to her when she needs it the most, to pull her back from the dark. The tether between them, a lifeline, another human to be her anchor.

Returnal, on the other hand, uses Selene’s loss of a tether—her ties to family, specifically her mother Theia and son Helios—to explore generational trauma. The actual tether here is broken not just physically, but emotionally; Selene’s journey into Atropos becomes a descent into the consequences of that fractured connection.

It’s the loss of her family bond, manifested in the loop she cannot escape. The fight-die-repeat-loop in Returnal reinforces this separation: every loop back to the crash is a reminder of the cycle she’s trapped within, unable to reconnect or find closure.

Guidance. No Guidance.

Kowalski and Helios serve as distinct yet pivotal catalysts for Stone and Selene’s story arcs. Each reveals a different lens on the concept of guidance and the catalyst in overcoming trauma. 

In Gravity, Kowalski embodies the "father figure" archetype—wise, nurturing, and self-sacrificing. Kowalski is the catalyst for two turning points in Stone’s journey. The first moment comes after he untethers her and sets her in the right direction to salvation. He offers her the chance to reclaim her life, a journey that only she can undertake alone. So Kowalski detaches himself, and gives his life to her, planting a seed for the chance of her rebirth.

The second, is when Stone has tried, failed, and has lost all hope. In despair, she has given up on life and welcomes death’s embrace. Kowalski appears, only this time, he represents Stone’s inner voice. His memory, is a guiding light, a catalyst that sparks hope, and a reason for her to live, again. 

In stark contrast, Returnal offers no such comforting guidance through its narrative. Helios, Selene's son, exists not as a reassuring figure but as a haunting reminder of her failures and losses. His memory serves as an unsettling manifestation of her guilt. Where Kowalski's presence is a tether pulling Stone towards salvation, Helios is a frayed bond, a tether to a past that Selene cannot fully release or make peace with. 

This absence of a nurturing "father figure" in Selene’s journey reinforces the brutal solitude of her struggle. It emphasises that healing sometimes comes without external guidance, and without it, Selene’s journey is that much more difficult. 

Life. Death. Rebirth.

Gravity weaves rebirth through a mix of intense visual cues and carefully framed scenes. In the final scenes, Stone’s escape pod blazes into the Earth’s atmosphere. The fire enveloping her capsule symbolises the purging of her trauma. A cleansing ritual, purifying her soul with holy fire. 

The fire gives way to water, an element often representing purification and renewal. As Stone emerges from the escape pod, she struggles against the weight of her soaked spacesuit—a clear visual metaphor for shedding her old skin, her past burdens, the grief she has carried for too long. 

She fights to the water's surface, where she finally emerges breathing her first breath of air and life. 

The evolution continues as she crawls from the water onto land, mirroring humanity’s primordial journey from sea to land. She stands on solid ground, triumphant, The sun shines above her, and lush green surrounds her, the setting teeming with life contrasting with the cold, lifeless void of space. Stone’s journey into life reflects hope, resilience, and the determination to continue.

Beyond Dr. Stone’s fetal pose—symbolic of being ready for a new life—her journey through fire, water, and land serves as an elemental baptism, transforming her grief into renewed purpose. 

A phoenix rising from the ashes, resurrected. The imagery is vivid: a second chance at life. A rebirth.

Live. Die. Repeat.

Returnal takes a much darker and more unsettling approach to the theme of rebirth. While Dr. Stone emerges victorious, Selene remains trapped in a never-ending cycle of life and death, each ‘rebirth’ forcing her to confront deeper levels of trauma and guilt.

Throughout the game, Selene relives memories of her broken past, each loop driving her closer to the truth and further into despair. Selene often encounters ghostly remnants of herself and finds log entries left by previous versions of her—constant reminders of her past failures and the cyclical nature of her struggle.

In contrast to Stone’s triumphant shedding of her old self, Selene's moments of “rebirth” are far more harrowing with memories of her guilt and regrets flooding back. The contrast is clear: while Stone prepares for a new life, Selene’s curled posture symbolizes being trapped within a cycle that she cannot break—a rebirth that offers no relief.

Selene’s journey through Atropos is peppered with symbols of destruction and renewal that mirror yet starkly differ from Stone’s arc. When Selene defeats major bosses, she is confronted by echoes of her past self and cryptic symbols, such as the scattered remains of Helios, her ship. Each boss battle represents a piece of her psyche that she must conquer; yet, unlike Stone, victory for Selene offers no true escape. Her “resets” serve as reminders of her past mistakes and signal her continued entrapment within her own trauma.

The End. The Beginning.

These two works, seemingly worlds apart, are united by their portrayal of grief, trauma, and the resilience of the human spirit. They remind us of the cycles we can’t break and the cycles we can, and they force us to confront the lingering question: what happens if we can’t move on? And maybe, that’s where these stories find their deepest impact—leaving us with a sense of empathy for those who fight their battles alone, untethered, and in silence. 

Closing

Thanks for watching this exploration of symbolism in Gravity and Returnal. If you enjoyed the video, it truly helps if you like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon to support us here at Cutscene Collective, where we explore the stories behind your favourite games. Let us know your thoughts below. Til the next one, be good to each other.