[usr 4.5]
A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
From the creators of “La La Land” comes a new movie that will rock your world, “First Man.” Ryan Gosling has branched out since “The Notebook” to a musical but never has he stepped foot on the moon until now, as Neil Armstrong, an American hero who bridged the gap between Earth and outer space. Claire Foy portrays Janet Armstrong, wife to Neil and a woman aware of the battleground women face when their men are in mortal danger. Between the personal life and work life of Armstrong, the film is riveting and realistic to a degree previously unknown, almost like a 3D experience.
Neil’s on-screen story begins in Ohio with his wife and two children, Rick and Karen. Toddler Karen suffers from cancer and her death shocks the family, sending Neil on a mission to move from pilot to astronaut to block out the pain. The new job takes the family to Florida for space training where the young couple also has a new son. Neil finds bonding with his new child difficult as Karen’s death still hurts so much. He works harder, longer, and spends less time at home with his family. His relationship with his older son Rick and wife becomes distant as his grief pushes him to train to numb his emotions.
The family befriends other astronauts and pilots hoping to move past earth’s atmosphere. Before in Ohio, the couple attended many funerals for co-workers in high-risk jobs, now the number of funerals increases even closer to home. The fear of every day losing Neil to the hope of lunar exploration overwhelms the family like a ticking time bomb. Every time the phone rings Janet becomes paralyzed as friend after friend loses their husbands. Apollo after Apollo goes through testing as good men die to make discoveries and improving further space travel.
Beyond family life, the movie – a docu-drama really – highlights every terrifying aspect of flying in newly developed air crafts, not quite glitch free yet. Scenes of claustrophobic metal tombs being bolted shut from the outside, gauges spinning, darkness enveloping tiny windows, and screens flashing red, all add to the fierce experience. Director Damien Chazelle and writer Josh Singer, along with author James Hansen, have created a powerful and almost nauseatingly realistic experience on a spacecraft. The camera hovers over metal screws as if the audience should expect them to pop out in space. Fires in the machines become a personal experience, the audience becomes the astronaut trapped in tight spaces, bulky uniforms, and glass helmets filled with sweat. Even the testing before flying is just as graphic, creating an almost three-dimensional experience to include all the senses except for smell.
With all the anticipation and potential for failure, the space crew is petrified when Apollo 11 is cleared for the first journey to the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin aboard. NASA has the press releases and letters to the wives ready for the deaths of the men aboard. History is made though and shown with grace and dignity as Neil takes “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” A bit of theatrics is thrown in to showcase how leaving the earth was not enough to help Neil cope with the loss of his daughter.
When you think of a hero, the first man to step on the moon, despite the race with the Soviet Union, a softly spoken man from Ohio sharing a bedroom with his wife and two children is not the implied image. Yet, the decorum and tenacity of Mr. Armstrong shine with Ryan Gosling as the interpreter. Claire Foy breathes life into the character of the stoic Janet Armstrong. If portrayed accurately, she has a Jackie Kennedy grace and plays the diligent wife and mother despite an overwhelming fear of her husband’s impending death. The burden of her daughter’s death is depicted more as Neil’s battle than as hers but her character could have been the star for the amount of poise she possesses. Conflicts in the family could have torn them apart, but she holds the seams together and refuses to let them unravel.
The other pilots carry the sense of awe on screen we all imagine, the sense of wonder that comes with space travel and opening the next generation’s eyes to the power of teamwork and innovation. Each loss feels too close to home as their personalities translate so well to the screen. The film keeps as close to real life as possible, not over manipulating the characters to look like Stepford wives, letting them be genuine in appearance and behavior.
“First Man” pays homage to the incredible men and team who placed the flag on the rocky terrain of the moon. By the end, you will be nauseous from the overwhelming sights and sounds of life in space but with a deeper understanding of the reclusive Neil Armstrong and his grief, coupled with a frayed relationship with his family. The only minor issue was the portrayal of Buzz Aldrin, was he, in fact, an egomaniac hell-bent on usurping the stage from Armstrong? I’m not sure, but his role served a necessary if not evil addition to the moonwalk history. Expect to be riveted to the edge of your seat in this impassioned film highlighting the extreme and grueling life of space explorers.
In theaters Friday, October 12th
