Review of First Man (2018) by Clarisesamuels — 20 Jan 2019

Space exploration movies, especially those based on a true story, are always riveting. First Man is no exception. Unlike the film Apollo 13, which explored the friendship and solidarity between Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise, this film focuses on the professional and emotional journey of one astronaut, Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling), who holds a place in history for being the first human being to set foot on the fine powder that pervades the surface of the moon.

Clearly, there was teamwork involved in this endeavor as well. Armstong did not fly to the moon by himself—he was accompanied by Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Nevertheless, even though his crewmates were with him the whole time, and the interdependency between them was obvious, Armstrong’s fierce inner strength, and his laconic and terse inability to express his deepest emotions both at home and at work, depict him as an iconic loner. It was not just one small step for [a] man and one giant leap for mankind, it was a giant leap for astronaut Neil Armstrong as an individual and a man whose personal journey had literally taken him to the moon.

Director Damien Chazelle beautifully balances the professional man with the private individual, who was difficult to live with as a spouse, who loved his children but could not always demonstrate paternal affection, and who respected his copilots even as he distanced himself from them. Generally unknown or forgotten details about Neil Armstrong come to light in this screenplay, such as the fact that he lost a 2-year-old daughter to brain cancer in 1962. Given his impassive and stoic personality, he was never completely able to assimilate his grief. He is shown dropping his daughter’s bracelet in a moon crater during his 22-hour Apollo 11 lunar exploration. Although this scene is not wholly based on fact, Armstrong did wander away from Aldrin briefly to spend a few minutes by himself at the edge of what is known as Little West Crater. This went against the scripted actions that had been carefully planned before the launch. It was thought he might have left something there as a memento, not uncommon practice for astronauts who walked on the moon. Armstrong’s biographer suspected he left something from his daughter, as did others. Also, not generally known was that Armstrong was probably not NASA’s first choice to be first man. He was shoved to the head of the line with the death of Gus Grissom, who perished in a flash fire during a “plugs-out” test. Grissom was purported to be lined up for commanding the first lunar landing mission.

As a strong-willed, hard-working Midwesterner from Ohio, Armstrong was not the easiest character to depict on screen. He was not glamorous or flamboyant, his life was scandal-free, and he avoided the limelight. Ryan Gosling attempts to recreate this inner and dispassionate strength, which was a kind of discrete reserve worn like a protective armor. The portrayal is accurate, but for those who have never experienced the quiet, unflappable self-restraint of a certain kind of Midwestern personality, it may have appeared that Gosling was underacting. He wasn’t. As for Claire Foy in the role of Armstrong’s wife Janet, she has demonstrated what appears to be an infinite acting range. She has effortlessly glided from a flawless portrayal of the young Queen Elizabeth II to an equally flawless portrayal of a Midwestern (from Illinois) suburban housewife who has to stay home to mind the kids, bravely live her life in the dark shadow of possible widowhood, and give her difficult astronaut husband a ton of support. Also noteworthy, the moon landing scenes and the eerie silence of space as the astronauts approach the lunar surface make this film an almost mystical experience.