First Man: Ryan Gosling brilliantly portrays the burden of being 'the first'

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Contrary to popular films based on space exploration, where humans perform valiant feats, First Man is not a heroic tale of men conquering the moon. More than space travel, the film is a character exploration of Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon. The film can be seen as a nuanced depiction of Armstrong and the burden an astronaut and his family have to carry.

Based on the book First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen, director Damien Chazelle of La La Land and Whiplash fame, and writer Josh Singer convey the story of human triumph focusing on the personal narrative behind it.

The film tells the story of NASA's mission to send humans to the moon and follows Neil Armstrong played by Ryan Gosling in the period between 1961 and 1969. Ryan’s portrayal of Armstrong as a determined and stoic astronaut committed to his goal captures the essence well.

We are introduced to Armstrong in the opening sequence struggling to gain control of his aircraft, setting the pace for soon-to-come emotional turbulence. Starting from his pre-astronaut days to the historical event of 1969, the film manages to tell the details to a large extent. Gosling’s acting is to the point, though at times you feel a bit detached from Armstrong because of his distant and introvert attitude.

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Claire Foy as Janet Armstrong is portrayed as a loving wife with a degree of coldness. She shares with her husband the pain of losing their daughter but is not lucky enough to find an escape route. Janet takes care of the family when her husband is away. The limit of her care and responsibility reaches the brim when she tells Armstrong to talk to their sons about the dangers of his mission. Armstrong is a man who tries to avoid a confrontation most of the time.

The work of the remaining cast is decent but lacks enough character development.

Chazelle and cinematographer Linus Sandgren, who also worked on La La Land, captures the intensity of human emotions and dangers of space precisely. The use of close-ups and extreme close-ups creates a very intimate and raw look. Almost every shot of Armstrong in his spacecraft is shot from inside, fixing the audience on the gut wrenching dangers and emotions faced by the astronauts. The grainy and vintage footage sometimes, gives the film a 60s feel. A word of warning though: with all that handheld shaky camera and aircraft spinning, you might experience dizziness at times.

Another aspect that the film captures incredibly is the crude technology available at the time of Armstrong that makes the premise all the more compelling. The machinery is shown to be operated by switches and analogue dials and you can hear every little nut and bolt warping. The camerawork, focused on faces and enclosed spaces of aircraft combined with the squealing of panels and crunching of metal, makes for the perfect recipe of anticipation and tension.

Music composer Justin Hurwitz has used background music beautifully to communicate emotions and tension. There is grief and absolute silence spread across the space, and Hurwitz’s music has given it a sense of loneliness and beauty at the same time.

The film was screened at the opening of 75th Venice International Film Festival and has received tremendous reviews and appreciation.

Regarding the film, director Damien Chazelle has said, "A few people have gone to the moon and Neil Armstrong was the first of them. Even more important is that this is an emotional journey of a person who is also trying to be a father and a husband while traveling on this space journey. "

Film: First Man

Director: Damien Chazelle

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Corey Stoll

Rating: 4/5

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