By Nadia Ranaputri
The moon landing was one of the most historical events known to man, and it's the story that has been told countless times to the point where we all know the eventual outcome. First Man is the latest to tackle the story, putting Neil Armstrong in the center of it once again. With Damien Chazelle at the helm, this would be his first biopic feature that doesn't include an artist as the protagonist. Having helmed critically praised films like Whiplash and La La Land, First Man is a vastly different field for Chazelle, depicting the true story behind the historic event. From the moment it opens, we're already strapped in alongside Gosling's Neil Armstrong as he takes off on a test flight in the Mojave dessert.
First Man is based on the book by James R. Hansen, which depicts astronaut Neil Armstrong's journey in becoming one of the first men to step foot on the moon. As many have already known the outcome of the mission, this film mainly focuses on the process of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission that took place to achieve the historical moon landing. Being one of the selected candidates in NASA's Project Gemini, Neil faces a difficult balance between doing the best he can in his job in order to avoid the consequence of certain death and telling his family of the risks he has to take whenever he goes to work, caught between going days, weeks, or months without coming home and the very possibility that he might not ever get to come home at all.
Gosling is effectively stoic and focused as the quite yet intelligent main lead. His emotions remain guarded when seen in the eyes of other people, but when the focus all comes down to him, that's when we see the gathering tears in his eyes and the clenched jaw that either prevents him from quivering his mouth or cause him to succumb to an overwhelming flood of emotion. Chazelle makes sure that every bit of Neil's progression is told by his reaction to the things he feels, hears, and sees. He's portrayed as someone who is not very open when it comes to talking about how he feels, even to his wife Janet. He keeps a calm demeanor despite there being scenes of him in the middle of a constant turbulence, whether it's during takeoff or a simulation test (which despite the fact that he passes out during the simulation, he regains his composure and confidently announces that he'd like to have another round at it).
Even during its more dire scenes, Gosling keeps his emotions neutral, as if stating that panicking or any other type of sudden reaction is not the key to solving the problem, but rather to stay composed, focused on the task at hand and to find a possible solution. But when you put Neil face-to-face with his wife Janet, it's an ongoing battle of keeping both of their emotions in check. Alongside him is Claire Foy, who is the standout of the film and is giving a much more emotional performance as the stay-at-home wife who fears for how her husband's impending doom could affect her and their children. Her fear gets to the breaking point when she slams the door of Neil's office at home and forces him to to tell their children about the nature of his job and the consequences that follow it, showcasing Foy's and Gosling's performances at their finest. When Neil refuses to talk or even look at her, she stares him down with a gaze so intense, it even drives him to immediately walk back out of their house right after he entered it during one scene, trying to avoid the possible confrontation that his wife would bring had she known what happened to him.
First Man feels so authentic and grounded, making the epic feel genuine, particularly the moon landing, a gorgeous sequence that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. But when it gets to the things that happen at home, it's also haunting as to show that this is no mere field trip. It depicts the familiar family life, but ultimately smashes the comfort of life back home with the possible fatality of a loved one. Similar to Whiplash and La La Land, Chazelle depicts the struggling efforts of achieving what is deemed to be impossible to reach. At some point, it questions the motives behind such an ambitious mission. It doesn't attempt to sugarcoat the tragedies and struggles of the journey to making history, but at the same time, it also highlights the determination in their goal and improving their ways to do so ("We need to fail down here so we don't fail up there," Neil points out in the film). The attempts made to further progress their goal of landing on the moon are interwoven with the more subdued sequences of the Armstrong family that are sometimes filtered with the feeling of dread from the possibility that Neil won't be returning home, or the constant news of astronauts dying from fatal technical issues that makes civilians question whether all of this was even worth it.
While the family aspect of the film gives the film an emotional touch, it's the sequences in NASA and in space where the film really gets intricate. It's also extremely intense, despite us knowing the outcome of the story. Crafts shake so violently that you wonder if they're even going to make it, and fatal obstacles like a dizzying sequence that involves a continuously spinning craft in the void of space are not taken lightly. But there are scenes that also immerse us in the beauty of space, told through the windows of the spacecraft and the reflection of Armstrong's helmet. It bounces brilliantly between the claustrophobic atmosphere of the space capsule and the vastness of space beyond it. The infamous moon landing is a gorgeous sequence to witness, and as the landing attempt is filled with Justin Hurwitz's illustrious score that elaborates on the feeling of triumph and the spectacular revelation of the moon itself, it eventually resorts to the absence of sound once Neil steps foot on the moon's surface. The film doesn't revel in its success by an epic composition, but through the silence of space and the ragged breathing of the men that made it happen.
The shots are mostly handheld when it comes to the scenes on earth, and at times, it even feels like it was shot like a home video, creating the feeling of normalcy. But the space stuff are more steady yet more fluid in movement, there are shots that are similar to the way Christopher Nolan conducted sequences on the air in Dunkirk: through the cockpit (or the compartment in this case) and the exterior of the craft that overlooks its movements and the atmosphere around it. But First Man is also immersive in bringing the audience in to the astronaut's shoes. When Neil enters the space capsule, some of the shots are told from his eyes, and for a moment, we are the ones being put in a claustrophobic space. It puts us in his spot to really know what it must have felt like for him, and the other astronauts to be put in such a tight spot with various possibilities of the whole thing being torn to pieces.
First Man is not the kind of film that thrives in showcasing the triumph of achieving what could have been seen as an impossible feat, but rather the kind that showcases the struggles in the process and grounded sense of realization that things like this have consequences. It's ultimately worth it, because when the film sticks the landing on the infamous moon sequence, it's saturated with the feeling of silent disbelief. It doesn't even show the millions of people watching the triumphant event, it keeps focusing on the astronauts who put their lives on the line and do everything they can to make sure every bit of their mission is successful. And like Dunkirk, it doesn't show the feeling of complete triumph, but more of relief and the disbelief that they made it, and when they really did make it, you can't help but cheer for it.
Overall verdict: First Man feels authentic in telling the story that has been depicted several times on screen, taking it on a different kind of perspective and a new ground. Gosling is brilliantly composed as Neil Armstrong, bringing his A-game in portraying the astronaut who struggles in avoiding the possible fatality that could occur to him and the revelation to his family of the dangers of his job. He's perfectly paired with Foy's Janet Armstrong, who resides her emotions with intense stares and bursts of anger. It gives a feeling of normalcy, but it knows how to demolish that sense of normalcy with dread and gritty determination. It puts audiences on the Neil's shoes and invites them along on their journey to the vastness of space and eventually the perils that follow. The cinematography is gorgeous and adds a whole new level to the film, particularly the moon landing sequence that is accompanied beautifully by Justin Hurwitz's score; and is worth seeing on the big sreen. The grounded tone, the intense revelations, and the subdued feeling of triumph is what made First Man stand out amongst other films of its kind that had came before it.
Stars: 4.4/5
Trailer
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| Image source: Business Insider |
Director: Damien Chazelle
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Corey Stoll, Pablo Schreiber, Kyle Chandler, Ciarán Hinds.
The moon landing was one of the most historical events known to man, and it's the story that has been told countless times to the point where we all know the eventual outcome. First Man is the latest to tackle the story, putting Neil Armstrong in the center of it once again. With Damien Chazelle at the helm, this would be his first biopic feature that doesn't include an artist as the protagonist. Having helmed critically praised films like Whiplash and La La Land, First Man is a vastly different field for Chazelle, depicting the true story behind the historic event. From the moment it opens, we're already strapped in alongside Gosling's Neil Armstrong as he takes off on a test flight in the Mojave dessert.
First Man is based on the book by James R. Hansen, which depicts astronaut Neil Armstrong's journey in becoming one of the first men to step foot on the moon. As many have already known the outcome of the mission, this film mainly focuses on the process of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission that took place to achieve the historical moon landing. Being one of the selected candidates in NASA's Project Gemini, Neil faces a difficult balance between doing the best he can in his job in order to avoid the consequence of certain death and telling his family of the risks he has to take whenever he goes to work, caught between going days, weeks, or months without coming home and the very possibility that he might not ever get to come home at all.
Gosling is effectively stoic and focused as the quite yet intelligent main lead. His emotions remain guarded when seen in the eyes of other people, but when the focus all comes down to him, that's when we see the gathering tears in his eyes and the clenched jaw that either prevents him from quivering his mouth or cause him to succumb to an overwhelming flood of emotion. Chazelle makes sure that every bit of Neil's progression is told by his reaction to the things he feels, hears, and sees. He's portrayed as someone who is not very open when it comes to talking about how he feels, even to his wife Janet. He keeps a calm demeanor despite there being scenes of him in the middle of a constant turbulence, whether it's during takeoff or a simulation test (which despite the fact that he passes out during the simulation, he regains his composure and confidently announces that he'd like to have another round at it).
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| Imags source: Variety |
Even during its more dire scenes, Gosling keeps his emotions neutral, as if stating that panicking or any other type of sudden reaction is not the key to solving the problem, but rather to stay composed, focused on the task at hand and to find a possible solution. But when you put Neil face-to-face with his wife Janet, it's an ongoing battle of keeping both of their emotions in check. Alongside him is Claire Foy, who is the standout of the film and is giving a much more emotional performance as the stay-at-home wife who fears for how her husband's impending doom could affect her and their children. Her fear gets to the breaking point when she slams the door of Neil's office at home and forces him to to tell their children about the nature of his job and the consequences that follow it, showcasing Foy's and Gosling's performances at their finest. When Neil refuses to talk or even look at her, she stares him down with a gaze so intense, it even drives him to immediately walk back out of their house right after he entered it during one scene, trying to avoid the possible confrontation that his wife would bring had she known what happened to him.
First Man feels so authentic and grounded, making the epic feel genuine, particularly the moon landing, a gorgeous sequence that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. But when it gets to the things that happen at home, it's also haunting as to show that this is no mere field trip. It depicts the familiar family life, but ultimately smashes the comfort of life back home with the possible fatality of a loved one. Similar to Whiplash and La La Land, Chazelle depicts the struggling efforts of achieving what is deemed to be impossible to reach. At some point, it questions the motives behind such an ambitious mission. It doesn't attempt to sugarcoat the tragedies and struggles of the journey to making history, but at the same time, it also highlights the determination in their goal and improving their ways to do so ("We need to fail down here so we don't fail up there," Neil points out in the film). The attempts made to further progress their goal of landing on the moon are interwoven with the more subdued sequences of the Armstrong family that are sometimes filtered with the feeling of dread from the possibility that Neil won't be returning home, or the constant news of astronauts dying from fatal technical issues that makes civilians question whether all of this was even worth it.
 |
| Image source: Cinema Vine |
While the family aspect of the film gives the film an emotional touch, it's the sequences in NASA and in space where the film really gets intricate. It's also extremely intense, despite us knowing the outcome of the story. Crafts shake so violently that you wonder if they're even going to make it, and fatal obstacles like a dizzying sequence that involves a continuously spinning craft in the void of space are not taken lightly. But there are scenes that also immerse us in the beauty of space, told through the windows of the spacecraft and the reflection of Armstrong's helmet. It bounces brilliantly between the claustrophobic atmosphere of the space capsule and the vastness of space beyond it. The infamous moon landing is a gorgeous sequence to witness, and as the landing attempt is filled with Justin Hurwitz's illustrious score that elaborates on the feeling of triumph and the spectacular revelation of the moon itself, it eventually resorts to the absence of sound once Neil steps foot on the moon's surface. The film doesn't revel in its success by an epic composition, but through the silence of space and the ragged breathing of the men that made it happen.
The shots are mostly handheld when it comes to the scenes on earth, and at times, it even feels like it was shot like a home video, creating the feeling of normalcy. But the space stuff are more steady yet more fluid in movement, there are shots that are similar to the way Christopher Nolan conducted sequences on the air in Dunkirk: through the cockpit (or the compartment in this case) and the exterior of the craft that overlooks its movements and the atmosphere around it. But First Man is also immersive in bringing the audience in to the astronaut's shoes. When Neil enters the space capsule, some of the shots are told from his eyes, and for a moment, we are the ones being put in a claustrophobic space. It puts us in his spot to really know what it must have felt like for him, and the other astronauts to be put in such a tight spot with various possibilities of the whole thing being torn to pieces.
First Man is not the kind of film that thrives in showcasing the triumph of achieving what could have been seen as an impossible feat, but rather the kind that showcases the struggles in the process and grounded sense of realization that things like this have consequences. It's ultimately worth it, because when the film sticks the landing on the infamous moon sequence, it's saturated with the feeling of silent disbelief. It doesn't even show the millions of people watching the triumphant event, it keeps focusing on the astronauts who put their lives on the line and do everything they can to make sure every bit of their mission is successful. And like Dunkirk, it doesn't show the feeling of complete triumph, but more of relief and the disbelief that they made it, and when they really did make it, you can't help but cheer for it.
 |
| Image source: Fandango |
Overall verdict: First Man feels authentic in telling the story that has been depicted several times on screen, taking it on a different kind of perspective and a new ground. Gosling is brilliantly composed as Neil Armstrong, bringing his A-game in portraying the astronaut who struggles in avoiding the possible fatality that could occur to him and the revelation to his family of the dangers of his job. He's perfectly paired with Foy's Janet Armstrong, who resides her emotions with intense stares and bursts of anger. It gives a feeling of normalcy, but it knows how to demolish that sense of normalcy with dread and gritty determination. It puts audiences on the Neil's shoes and invites them along on their journey to the vastness of space and eventually the perils that follow. The cinematography is gorgeous and adds a whole new level to the film, particularly the moon landing sequence that is accompanied beautifully by Justin Hurwitz's score; and is worth seeing on the big sreen. The grounded tone, the intense revelations, and the subdued feeling of triumph is what made First Man stand out amongst other films of its kind that had came before it.
Stars: 4.4/5
Trailer
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