Director:Â Damien Chazelle
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Pablo Schreiber, Christopher Abbott, Ciarán Hinds, Corey Stoll
Rating: 12A
Running time: 141 minutes
Release date:Â 12/10/2018
Coming out of a two for two record of the fantastically harsh Whiplash and the joyous showcase of a modern musical in La La Land, Damien Chazelle goes for the hat-trick with his take on the American moon landing led by Neil Armstrong (played by Ryan Gosling). The first of his films not to be written by himself, instead adapted by Josh Singer from a biography written by James R Hanson, Armstrong’s conquest of the moon is one of tragedy and perseverance, captured beautifully with Gosling’s nuanced performance alongside great actors such as Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler and Corey Stoll that add tenderness, humour and moments of humanity to a man who has one dream in mind.
The event of the moon landing in the film is spectacular and through a grainy filter, it brings about what landing on the moon felt like in that moment, in that era of technology and the future. It harks back to the likes of Apollo 13 and the films way of opening the audiences eyes to unseen sights. And being in this small pod, as far away from other life as possible, it captures a stark contrast of Armstrong’s willingness to be alone, to be a watcher of the world from such an incredible distance, that his distance from his family and friends seems so genuine. The way Chazelle builds the tension and drama of the final third is truly remarkable in a way of the audience knowing what the final outcome is, but still being able to keep the audience engaged and enthralled by how Armstrong managed to pull it off, overcoming such adversity.
Moments of family separation, loss of friends and friction with the process of getting to the moon fill the gaps between Armstrong joining NASA to when he announces his most famous line. And through these moments, Gosling has the ability to bring the audience closer to who Neil was, and how much it meant to stick through this crazy idea. Claire Foy in particular, playing the part of the dotting wife, Jan, encapsulates the long standing love and devotion she holds for him, even through years of suffering and poor parenting decisions. Although having such a traumatic event be the catalyst for Armstrong’s courage, he’s a man that all audiences will root for and appreciate more after the credits roll. A strong contender for the award season at the beginning of next year, this sets the bar going forward, especially with Chazelles’ track record, for all others to beat.
