The first biopic, “Man on the Moon” (2018), by Damien Chazelle, consistently reveals the life of Neil Armstrong, aired by Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy (plays wife). But this space journey is still chained mostly to the Earth, and not to lunar flight.
What do you know about Neil Armstrong? Many, if they have heard the name of this great astronaut, they will answer: "This is the first man to set foot on the moon." Some even shoot his famous phrase. But what do you know about the personality itself? While watching “Man on the Moon”, you are confronted with the thought that every scene of his biography becomes a revelation. This gives a great advantage to the director, because we will learn unknown facts about a famous person.
Neil Armstrong carefully guarded privacy and allowed himself to reveal himself only in the biographical book “The First Man: The Life of Neil Armstrong,” written by James R. Hansen. It was she who became the starting point of the film Shazella, and screenwriter Josh Singer filled in the blanks. We can say that Neil was a man quietly experiencing internal drama.
The story begins with the fact that he and his wife Janet (Claire Foy) suffer from the loss of a little daughter who died of a brain tumor. We see Armstrong immersed in scientific articles and leafing through books about cancer research. But she died. Neal quietly puts off magazines and is torn in painful sobs. This is the last time in the entire film, when we see the real hysteria of a broken living person. Then Armstrong joins the Gemini program, which will eventually open the way for the Apollo program and the moon landing. But before this momentous event, he will have to go through a series of terrible missions, accompanied by death. “Man on the Moon” is reminiscent of the use of tiny capsules, unsafe flights and risky operations.
Through all this, Armstrong is going through with the pain of losing the daughter and friends of astronauts. People come into his life to die and leave a scar on his heart. Death - almost a full-fledged character in the film. This is an unusual approach to character development. Neil never shows his feelings, but Chasell finds ways to convey the emotional part. Even in moments of anger, we see only a violent light in the eyes of Gosling, but no other movements and actions.
It looks great, as does Claire's wife, who is doing everything she can to pull the emotion out of her husband. Some people think that “Man on the Moon” seems sluggish at certain times. Chazell uses the old-fashioned method of interpretation. Of course, death missions and catastrophes work as shakes, but the rest of the scenes are cooler and more distant. Most of the film was shot in an extreme approximation, which increases claustrophobia. Yes, if you are accustomed to Hollywood movies with a constant action, then this may seem a little slow. But Chasell and did not set out to shake you aliens or space adventures. He reveals the real story. Finally, Neil Armstrong is on the moon and we see an amazing sight. Here, the heart stops, and you again and again relive an exciting moment, which led the film from the very beginning. In the first walk, the director sends viewers to Neal's helmet so that you can see everything from the first person. Admire the black sky, the alien world and the native Earth seen in the frame. Feel free to go to the cinema on October 11 and enjoy this spectacle.
