First Man

On the level of plot the title refers to subject Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon. The level of theme points elsewhere: The man precedes and predominates over the astronaut. 

From beginning to end the film puts us into Armstrong’s life, his experience. First as a father, his heart broken by the cancer death of his little daughter, then living a dedicated, stoic model for his young sons. The older son’s handshake shows the promise of his manhood., Then as a husband — sorely testing and relying upon his oak-strong wife. Finally, as the professional, disciplined, dedicated, steady even as his friends die on their parts of their mission.   

Ryan Gosling gives Armstrong a profoundly sunken emotional life, feeling deeply but all expression virtually buried. But for one outbreak, he keeps his head about him privately as well as professionally. His job interview for the Apollo mission is the most revealing since Judge Kavanaugh’s.

The film reminds us how human our real heroes are. Their losses, suffering and demands upon them and theirs make their successes so much more impressive than those of the superheroes. That makes this film so much more engaging and emotionally illuminating than the abstractions of Kubrick’s 2001. 

      Finally, this film very much addresses the American moment. That was the Kennedy future. There’s a sad nostalgia in harkening back to an American government that respected science, that propounded lofty ideals and that embraced America’s responsibility of giving the world political, scientific and moral leadership.

For me three moments stand out. One is the repeated scenes of the capsule spinning wildly out of control, Armstrong manfully trying to recover its stability. That’s the true American, of the great America, trying to bring stability to chaos, in the lab as on the globe and beyond. The good old days.

  Then there’s Armstrong’s rationale for the space exploration program: “I don't know what space exploration will uncover, but I don't think it'll be exploration just for the sake of exploration. I think it'll be more the fact that it, allows us to see things. That maybe we should have seen a long time ago. But, just haven't been able to until now.” His craving for the fullest possible perspective upon mankind and the universe is so at odds with today’s willful ignorance and tribalism.
     And the last shot. Armstrong and his wife have been through so much that separated them — even beyond the shattering loss of their child — that their reunion still carries a chill. They have so much gap to cross. In the quarantine room they can only play at a touch, through a glass darkly, a gathered pain between them. It’s the perfect end to a story of heroism so dearly bought. And an America so sadly lost.