Sorry about another delay. That data sciences certificate program has been kicking my autistic butt. As a result of the time lapsed this movie I about which I was super stoked has practically left theaters but if you don’t get a chance to watch it on the big screen this can be another case where I inspire someone to stream a film.
Of course, part of the reason Ad Astra isn’t enjoying a longer theatrical run is that it’s bombed, which is really too bad. It’s amazing.
It’s a very meditative film on the obsessive power of space travel. It’s a powerful theme touched upon in Ray Bradbury’s cryptic short story The Rocket Man (the loose inspiration for Elton John’s flagship song) and discussed by psychologists when they research how astronauts wind up with PTSD when they come home. When I first heard about such research I was thinking that PTSD happens because the astronauts feel depressed after coming off that adrenaline high. I will say I have sometimes felt low right after something massively exciting, such as whitewater rafting, a performance of the play I wrote, or a special celebration of my birthday.
However, I then learned that the issue is the isolation the astronauts feel. I later could understand when I wound up in the hospital for a few days. Being separated from everyone and everything you know isn’t pleasant, to say the least. I’ll stress that I’m simply talking about a new building in a nearby city, where loves ones could still drop by during visiting hours. Imagine being on a vehicle hundreds of thousands of miles away from home.
Could you handle it? For most people it’s a moot point, as the odds against becoming an astronaut even in the present day are (pun intended) astronomical. I know I’m one of countless people who was never eligible due to not having perfect eyesight. That’s despite the fact that humans have never gone further than the moon.
What if there were a mission to Neptune? That’s billions of miles away. Could you possibly resume a normal life home on Earth? Or would space become your new home? Would you stop caring about other Earthlings (perhaps out of necessity) and instead maybe long to explore the billions of light years of observable universe out there?
Ad Astra (Latin for “to the stars”) asks those tough questions better than any other movie I have ever seen. The main character, astronaut Roy (Brad Pitt), has failed in his marriage to Eve (Liv Tyler, making a triumphant return to the limelight). Perhaps he has simply inherited the worst traits of his long-lost dad, astronaut Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones). Or perhaps his life was really changed by Clifford’s disappearance on a mission when Roy was a teen. Did Roy pursue the same career path to learn what became of his dad? To try and feel some connection to that distant (in more ways than one) man? To pursue that same insatiable desire to explore he too has? Whatever the reason, can his feelings be changed? To what extent are we in control of our own destiny?
These existential questions are asked and answered so powerfully. It’s also beautifully filmed and scored, with great performances from the three actors mentioned and all others involved. I’m not giving this a perfect rating only because the film got a tiny bit too Hollywood at the end but it’s a minor quibble.
Agree? Disagree? Feel free to comment.
Bottom line: Wow.
Up Next: The granddaddy of them all.
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