Despite being the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong is a relatively quiet person. You’d think that with his monumental achievement, that fundamentally changed history, he would be more boastful about it. But no, he’s a calm and reserved person, unlike what most would likely think. Damien Chazelle’s (“La La Land”, “Whiplash”) latest film pulls that complicated persona off flawlessly.
“First Man” is a long film. At 141 minutes, it pushes the limits of what most audiences are willing to accept with no pre-established canon. However, Chazelle succeeds where others have failed by filling his movie with something that most studio executives would shudder to think of: visual and auditory silence.
Like “A Quiet Place” earlier this year, much of “First Man” is silent. Not as extensively as in the former, but this allows Chazelle to craft silence at just the right moment. It never fails to underscore something, large or small, and provides a wonderful symmetry with the endless silence of space. This is slightly ironic, as the film’s musical score, from Justin Hurwitz (“La La Land”, “Whiplash”) is extremely impactful.
Chazelle also uses negative space in a way that’s unlike any other mainstream film in recent memory. Obviously, the scenes set in space have an abundance of dark to them, but Chazelle and cinematographer Linus Sandgren (“La La Land”, “American Hustle”) work to create a lack of light on earth that’s just as pronounced as in space.
This lack of light and emphasis on darkness help to underscore and visualize the isolated nature of, not only Armstrong’s life, but the job he’s attempting to do. “First Man” does a wonderful job of sympathizing with Neil, before ripping the carpet from beneath audiences and asking “But how can you possibly comprehend what he had to do?”
Endless credit goes to Ryan Gosling (“The Nice Guys,” “La La Land”), who, as Neil Armstrong, manages to give a commanding performance filed with emotional isolation without ever feeling wooden. Like his performance in last year’s “Blade Runner 2049”, its in his ability to allow lighter moments, excited moments, to seep through the cracks of this guarded persona in such natural ways that create such a believable and excellent crafted performance.
Claire Foy (“The Crown,” “Unsane”) also commands the screen whenever she’s on it, elevating what could have been a simple “anxious wife” role to new heights thanks to her sheer talent, and writer Josh Singer’s (“The Post”, “Spotlight”) seeming refusal to allow her to be brought down to that level. Giving her agency and ability within the neighborhood and by showing what could become of her family, Foy gives what is yet another excellent performance in a year with so many already.
Its, quite frankly, a bizarre thing to make a movie about when breaking it down. Films at their core rely on empathy from audience so they can connect with characters and end up liking them. Empathy often comes from shared experiences, and while most films feature extreme elements, audiences go into those films, expecting those elements. Sure, it may be impossible to shot a rocket at a large purple space tyrant, but you can go and see a rocket being fired and feel the impact.
The moon is just not that simple. Therein lies the greatest accomplishment of Chazelle’s latest work. It asks for empathy for its subject, and then asks if empathy for such an extraordinary scenario is even possible.
Gosling, Foy and Chazelle have created a unique film in many aspects. It’s unique in its filming, cinematography, use of sound, but most of all in its seeming idea to buck the trend of typical biopics. Instead of overtly fetishizing the achievements of its lead, it instead breaks them down to see if empathy with that lead is even possible. It’s a bold take on the biographical genre, wrapped up in excellent performances and top of their craft filmmaking across the board, leaving “First Man” as a film that has shot for the moon, and made it. 5/5
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