Spaceman, which is set to come out in 2024, is a science fiction drama that is directed by Johan Renck, it is based on Jaroslav Kalfař’s 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia. The movie features Adam Sandler as Jakub Procházka, a Czech astronaut who is on a journey to the outermost reaches of the solar system by himself while wearing the spacesuit for carey mulligan as his wife, Lenka. The story tackles ideas such as isolation and reflection along with the exploration of the vast emptiness of space.
Synopsis
A scientist who has now turned into an astronaut, Jakub Procházka, is chosen by the Czech Republic to go on a quest to uncover the Enigma known as the Chopra cloud that hangs near the planet called Venus. He abandons his wife, Lenka, to get onboard with a shuttle that has been designed for only one person, the journey will last for eight months. As he travels further into the depths of space the isolation starts to mess with his mind which causes him to start hallucinating and thinking about his issues from the past, in particular his relationship with his father who used to be a communist informant.
Jakub hears the voice of the spirit Hanuš (Paul Dano’s voice) who happens to be an oversized non-human. These nightmares kindle both frustration and self-doubt in Jakub, inspiring him to carry out elaborate dialogues with Hanuš, who turns out to be a philosopher at heart, on guilt, a person’s ego, and the essence of life. It is through these communications that Jakub meets himself and his family including Lenka and the cost of ambition.
Team and Actors
- Screenwriter: Colby Day
- Based on: Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař
- Director: Johan Renck
- Producers: Michael Parets, Channing Tatum, Reid Carolin, Lia Buman, Max Silva, Peter Kiernan, and Timothy Headington.
Cast:
- Isabella Rossellini as Dr. Jana, Psychologist
- Lena Olin as Jakub’s Grandmother
- Kunal Nayyar as Mission Control Specialist, Petr,
- Paul Dano as Voice of Hanuš
- Carey Mulligan as Lenka Procházka
- Adam Sandler as Jakub Procházka
Space makes one feel very lonely, and filmmakers are always trying to communicate this through their films. This visualization of space has been made even more attractive with Max Richter’s music, and its stylistic broadness has been aptly chased after by Johan Renck, also the director of the well reputed Chernobyl series.
It is also important to highlight that Jakub’s camerawork has an absolutely stunning appeal to it. Instead of including the wastelands of space, he focused more on the close-up shots of his Jakub, which alleviated even the worst scenes on Earth. The starry skies that differ so profoundly from Earth were captured by cinematographer Jakob Ihre, who composed the film together with Renck.
The film was shot in multiple locations ranging from expansive space like soundstages to give the illusion of the confinement of a solo mission centered around space. Practical effects combined with CGI were used to create a marking spaceship alongside Hanuš.
Analysis and Themes
The film Spaceman incorporates a rich tapestry of life lessons:
Loneliness and Mental Health: The narrative puts forth Jakub’s solo journey as an analogy for the human condition of being alone as well as its consequences on mental well being. Jakub’s speech with Hanuš depicts the strategies which the mind employs to survive periods of extreme isolation.
Search for Identity: This film focuses on Jakub’s conflicts regarding his family, his country’s identity, , and many more in relation to the post-communist Czechoslovakia in which he seeks out to understand more about himself.
Search for meaning: Spaceman considers the questions of the purpose of humans on Earth in relation to the physical and mental dialogues that Hanuš and Spaceman engage in, such as what is the true meaning of person’s life beyond science and physical necessities and how it feels to live a life full of violence, borderline apathy and having little to no love.
Sacrifice: The goal which Jakub seeks requires a number of sacrifices in his personal life most crucial of which is the destruction of his marriage with Lenka. The tale looks into the borderline of pursuing ones aspirations at the cost of relationships and the hope for a happy end.
Critical Reception
Spaceman had its world premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival on February 20, 2024, and the critics are split as to how they felt about the film. It has a score of 60 percent on Rotten Tomatoes which indicates that the critics had mixed opinions of the film. According to Rasman Rotem comments, Adam Sandler gave a remarkable anxious performance that was different from his routine duties of a comedian, Philip Glass and Lawrence Kramer’s film, Spaceman also won considerable praise. In addition, Paul Dano’s voice over done for the mysterious character of Hanuš, was appreciated as well since it was believed to have brought great resonance to the Hanuš’s character.
Though, many critic when reviewing the film expressed that its pace was slow and also expressed concern on have the themes they had wished to have fully explored been done while being too ambitious. With a combination of surreal aspects and character focused story resulted to differing opinions, some viewers enjoyed the intricate elements to it, while others thought the writing of the story was not up to par which presented a narrative that lacked depth.
Box Office and Streaming Performance
After having the film released in festivals, the film Spaceman aired in theaters only in limited places on 23rd February 2024, and it was made available for on demand streaming via Netflix on 1st March 2024. Though it has not been made known to the public as to how many people watched the film other than Adam Sandler’s name being attached to the film and the interesting concept were enough to make the popularity of the film grow on the platform.
Conclusion
Spaceman is a movie Sandler seamlessly intertwines his life with. The film is a sci-fi fiction where isolation and it’s effects on identity is explored through Sandler’s dramatization. Now, the movie rubs off a as a slow burner with deep philosophical themes. However, for the viewers seeking content that contains introspective science fiction, this movie can be a great watch.
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