Cinema at its best

Rating: 10/10 (11 January 2019)

Damien Chazelle is one of the greatest current directors, and this movie just reaffirms that. First Man was such an incredible emotional and visual experience, that I'm amazed at how they did it.
Chazelle is my favorite director, and when First Man didn't get to any theatres on my city I was so disappointed. This is a movie that NEEDS to be seen on a big screen. Neil Armstrong isn't a character I'm really interested in, but this movie changed the way I saw him completely. Many of the critiques this movie had was that it was kind of "emotionless", which I completely disagree in. Armstrong was such a reserved guy that this movie does a great job at studying his character and the way he sees and feel the world. The performances by Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy we're moving but also they have a lot of depth that is unraveled once you analyze the film after it's done.
The way this film is shot and edited gives it such a realistic feel that moments after the film ends you start to release this feeling of tension carried throughout the whole movie. Some criticized that it is too "shaky" but that's an aspect I loved. I saw many interviews with Chazelle where he talks about the whole filming process and the way he interpreted the story is transmitted with the filming style. He wanted to create a documentary like film that showcased the life of Armstrong as well as the risks of the space race, and working with the DP he achieved it. The space launch sequences gave me an anxiety lever that I've never felt in a space movie before.
I truly could continue to talk about how great this movie is, but you just need to experience it in order to understand. I cannot wait to see what this incredible director does next.