Don't Let Go
Why it is hard sci-fi
A two-hander set entirely in low Earth orbit. Cuaron treats orbital mechanics as the antagonist. Kessler-style debris arrives on a 90-minute cycle. Translation between vehicles requires real delta-v budgeting. EVA tethers behave like tethers. The film dramatises the idea that in space the consequence of a small mistake is a long fall back to a vehicle that may not still be there.
Science inside it
Kessler syndrome, orbital decay, EVA propellant economy, free-return cross-platform transfer between the Hubble, ISS, and Tiangong. The trajectories are stylised for the films pacing but the failure modes shown are the right failure modes. Fire in microgravity, depressurisation, and tumbling rotation are all rendered honestly.