A Reel Review: FIRST MAN

In the last few years, writer/director Damien Chazelle has been making films based on the music world; starting with GRAND PIANO in 2013, followed by WHIPLASH in 2014, and the all—out musical LA LA LAND in 2016. After five years of song and dance, Chazelle has escaped those Earthly boundaries with an eye on the Moon…and the men and women who captured it. 

After the death of his daughter, Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling), volunteers for the new space program with the lofty goal of landing on the Moon and returning safely. The rigorous training and dangers cause stresses on his home life, including his marriage with his wife Janet (Claire Foy). 

It was the greatest accomplishment in the history of mankind. Only 60 years after the Wright Brothers learned how to fly, America found itself in a space-race with the Soviet Union, and constantly losing. There was pressure on the new space agency called NASA, from both the political and the national pride isles; this was something that had to be done. Writer and director Damien Chazelle keeps an eye on the grand implications of the task, but at the same time, and more importantly, focuses on what’s happening on the ground and in the homes of the actual human hands and hearts that were making those giant rockets shake the Earth on their way into the void of space. The steps towards America’s first space voyage are shown in great detail; from the training, to the astronaut selection process, to the training flights in the Gemini program. A lot of homework was done here and it shows, as the film has a very authentic feel to it. 

Despite the grand stage of the national effort, Chazelle keeps his cameras close to his characters, especially Armstrong. He and his wife Janet are in nearly every scene in the film, as we’re shown how the training, flights, and loss of life affects them. The loss of their daughter hangs over them like another planet, and drives Armstrong to reach higher than his grasp. There is a motivating factor there that really works, and gives FIRST MAN the humanity that was such an important factor in the eventual, historical first moon-walk. 

Keeping the cameras close to the characters is the film’s trademark. Chazelle goes for extreme close-ups for most of the film, especially in the tight confines of the cramped and claustrophobic spacecraft of the time. Chazelle drops us right into the seats of the capsules, and the creepy lighting, terrific sound mixing, and spot-on editing makes the horrors of space travel up-front and real for us; this is really how it feels to be launched into space. Armstrong’s troubled Gemini flight, and most especially the Moon-landing which was extremely close to disaster are fantastic sequences which are also full of stomach-churning tension. Visual effects are stunning; although Chazelle bypasses a lot of exterior-shots of the spacecraft in favor of first-person-perspectives. The surface of the Moon is breathtaking, and Justin Hurwitz’s score is fantastic. 

Acting is as bright as the Moon. Gosling plays Armstrong as a distant man with a tough shell to crack through, and his one emotional break-down is brilliantly played. There is a quiet battle going on inside him, but his dedication to duty overcomes it…and Gosling shows it all in what is one of his best performances. Claire Foy as Armstrong’s wife steals the show. She has a lot to bear despite being the one left on the ground, and her struggles are made real by Foy. The rest of the cast, including Corey Stoll, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Lukas Haas, Brian d’Arcy James, and Ciaran Hinds are well-cast and played. 

After the outstanding Moon-landing and first stroll sequence, the film bypasses the standard flight-home and splash-down and jumps right to the quiet times the astronauts have to spend in quarantine, which offers Chazelle the chance to bring this story back down to Earth, quite literally. It’s a bold move that reminds us of the humanity behind all the rockets and computers and makes FIRST MAN a very special film. This was a story that deserved a special touch, and it makes a perfect landing. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it