Great Human Story

Rating: 8/10 (21 October 2018)

First Man: Death is ever present, other astronauts, test pilots even Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling)himself faces it several times. But perhaps the most important death is that of Armstrong's daughter Karen, he hasn't grieved properly at his and his families loss, doesn't talk about her. But she is always present in his mind. This affects his relationship with his wife Janet (Claire Foy), son Rick and the other astronauts. The frail human Armstrong is revealed as well ad the test pilot, engineer and astronaut. The toll on his family and the families of other astronauts is also explored. While it is very much a film about Armstrong, the fact that it was an effort involving thousand of people is acknowledged.
Opening in 1961, Armstrong goes to 140,000 feet in an X-15 jet, but bounces off the atmosphere on re-entry and barely regains control. Another two astronauts die in a plane crash. There are problems with Armstrong's Gemini mission and contact is lost for a time. This incident causes Janet to forcefully confront NASA officials about how the astronaut's families are denied information. Three more astronauts are killed in the Apollo One fire and Armstrong is injured testing a mock up of the lunar landing module. Janet confronts neil and demands that he talk to their sons about the possibility that he might not return from the moon mission.
We are also constantly reminded of the lack of computers which we take for granted. Astronauts have to make their own calculations at the last moment, their lives depended on it. A great story about a voyage beyond the sunset and it's effects on human lives. 8/10.