A film about grief....and closer in spirit to Chazelle's others than you might think.

Rating: 9/10 (16 August 2019)

I can understand why a certain proportion of the audience would be disappointed by First Man, depending on their expectations of what an Apollo 11 Moon Landing film 'should' be. However, casting those expectations aside and taking the movie at face value will surely result in being invested in Neil and Janet Armstrong's story.
There are definite thematic similarities between this and Chazelle's previous two fantastic movies (Whiplash, La La Land) in terms of the existential concerns and motivations of the characters. What do we want to achieve with our lives? Why? At what cost? Each of the three films speaks to anyone who feels a calling, a 'destiny' of sorts. That the background/experiences of Neil Armstrong is quite different to Andrew Neiman or Mia/Sebastian merely adds a different shade of empathy to the figure of Neil Armstrong.
Something quite striking, and explored in a way that few space films have, is the sheer physicality of space travel. You feel the stress that this whole process put on the bodies of those involved. Meanwhile, the mental strain of outright life-threatening risk that the astronauts are taking, and the toll this takes on them and their families, underscores the entire film.
Never once does the relationship between Neil and Janet Armstrong step into melodrama or sentimentality; there is an understatement to both Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy that makes the relationship all the more believable. His inability to deal with his grief in any kind of healthy way is not uncommon; as he realises he can't outwardly express his emotions, his sadness is internalised in a touching, realistic presentation of grieving.
In my view, a committed film that is brilliantly made.