Anthony Bergamini
First Man is a biographical film from director, Damien Chazelle that follows the journey of Neil Armstrong as he joins NASA’s expedition to be the first country to land on the moon. Whereas many films depicting space opt to go for the science fiction route, First Man takes a more personal approach, focusing on Armstrong as a man dealing with the loss of his two-year-old daughter, whose experiences with loss drive him towards NASA’s goals and alienate him from his family. In many ways, First Man is more of an exploration of the human condition rather than a film about space; however, that does not stop it from depicting some of the most unique takes on an astronaut’s journey beyond Earth’s atmosphere that have ever been shown on film.
First Man is a film encompassed with the idea of space exploration, condensed down into a biographical tale of Armstrong’s journey. Unlike many films of the same genre, First Man takes a very unique approach to the topic of space exploration by not glorifying it but sometimes going as far as criticizing it. From a personal perspective, Armstrong uses the work he is doing with NASA as a coping mechanism for his grief. In many ways, he views the idea of getting to the moon as important because if not, the loss of life of his friends and coworkers, and the loss of time he could have spent with his daughter would have been for nothing. In this vein, space exploration is almost viewed as a personal vendetta to prove that everything Armstrong had gone through was worth it. This is juxtaposed by other characters in the film, like Buzz Aldrin, who has a more cavalier attitude for the concept and sometimes even overinflates it as a way to brag to his wife. These two warring ideas take the concept of space exploration and showcase it from the character’s perspective.
Outside of strictly viewing the space exploration program through the characters, First Man sometimes views it through the lens of archival footage or recreations of protests from those who opposed it. One thing that any history scholar will tell you is that history is almost always told from the perspective of the victor, or at least the person/group that benefited or succeeded. Because of this, many schools within the United States do not touch upon the negative viewpoints of the Apollo 11 trip to the moon. First Man expertly navigates the opposition to this by showcasing some of the politics behind the trip, all while still keeping the central focus around Armstrong. One scene specifically showcases groups protesting the amount of money being allocated to the space race that could be used in other beneficial ways. This is further juxtaposed with President John F. Kennedy’s speech regarding why the United States needs to strive to land on the moon first. Morally, the concept is left ambiguous, with First Man introducing both perspectives without making a firm stance. The main theme that is consistent is that no matter what side either group was on, Armstrong was participating for his own reasons.
While First Man is centered around Armstrong’s journey through the space exploration program at NASA, the film is truly about Armstrong as a man and why he chooses to participate. Many scenes within the film are centered around that main focus, showcasing who Armstrong was at his core. For example, early on in the film, Armstrong and several other pilots and engineers learn that one of their coworkers and friends had died in a test flight. This is the first real death that Armstrong experiences after the death of his daughter, with the film showcasing Armstrong leaving the wake after the funeral and going home. When he is found at home, his friend attempts to talk to him but Armstrong retorts, saying that he wouldn’t be outside looking at the moon alone if he wanted to talk to someone. This was the film’s not-so-subtle way of showcasing how Armstrong utilizes his work as an escape from the grief he feels. In this case, he quite literally runs from the feeling and places himself in some sort of exile that requires him to work. As the film continues, this pattern becomes more and more of Armstrong spending time at work and spending less time with his family, showcasing the purgatory like state that he has placed himself in.
Because of the way that Armstrong’s experience is so tied to the deaths of his friends and family, there is a lot to dissect about how First Man portrays death. In almost all examples, the film focuses on the reactions to death rather than the death itself. First Man spends a lot of time showcasing the relationships before and after the deaths, making the subject matter more about grief than anything else. This continues the focus on Armstrong first and foremost, not using the deaths as a visual spectacle. A great example of this in the film is when Armstrong’s daughter, Karen passes away. The scene before this showcases Armstrong sitting with her and actively participating as her father, which quickly cuts to the funeral proceedings. By skipping over the actual death of the character, the film maintains its focus on the impact it has to Armstrong rather than the specific event itself.
The result of Armstrong’s grief is in part his need to participate in the space exploration program but is shown through his change in personality from a more lighthearted man to a stoic, straight-to-the-point presence. This transition is subtle, but very noticeable if attempting to rewatch the film in a short time frame. From the beginning, Armstrong is shown to be very dedicated to his work, but also very family oriented when he gets home. His relationship with his wife is centered around their children. This family-man attitude starts to diminish the more he experiences death. After the death of his daughter, he immediately goes right back to work to escape; however, after deciding to participate in the space exploration program and attending a first day of training, he is still excited to go home and celebrate with his wife. After experiencing more and more death, he starts to retreat into his work more. This all builds up to the scene prior to him leaving for the mission to the moon, wherein he is unable to sit down with his children and explain that the mission he is on is dangerous and he may not return. This inability to speak with them comes directly from the way that he has distanced himself from his family, likely because he is afraid of continuing more personal attachments. From an audience perspective, there is a slow decline into stoicism that almost is hard to catch because of how it is done. The film uses repeated motifs to showcase this as well, with Armstrong’s neighbors participating in many pool parties at the beginning of the film that slowly stop happening as the film goes on.
Although Armstrong is portrayed as very stoic throughout the film, there is so much nuance that Ryan Gosling puts into the performance that it almost takes it a level beyond that stoicism typically is. Gosling definitely puts on a stilted performance at times, showcasing how Armstrong stays focused on the mission and cares little for the theatrics played amongst his colleagues. There are two scenes where Buzz Aldrin cracks a joke to break some tension that Armstrong responds to with slight wit that is in keeping with his character. Here Gosling shows that he is able to maintain the core characterization that surrounds his role while also being able to infuse slight wit when available. Gosling’s performance really shines when Armstrong’s stoic façade takes a backseat. This is first portrayed when Armstrong leaves his daughter’s funeral to privately cry in his office. Later, when Armstrong brings up his daughter, Gosling’s line delivery expertly portrays all the pain and suffering he has felt, while keeping his stoic presence alive. This is enhanced by the earlier display of emotion which visually shows the audience the pain he is feeling inside when the topic of his daughter’s death comes to mind.
Furthermore, Gosling’s performance is outstanding in the scenes where he is piloting any sort of vehicle. Because most of the actions in these scenes are performed while the actors are confined within a tight space, most of the acting is done through the character’s eyes and facial expressions. Sometimes Gosling has to portray a pilot who is experiencing extreme centrifugal forces, whereas other times he is expressing a deep focus on an otherwise insurmountable task. Either way, the focus on Gosling’s eyes and facial expressions here showcase the actor’s ability to exude the ambiance of the character outside of just delivering dialogue.
One of the most significant achievements for First Man was winning the Academy Award for best visual effects. When poised up against summer blockbusters, many may find this odd, especially with how many films utilize CGI and effects to generate hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. But the difference between First Man and a summer blockbuster is that First Man seeks to depict space travel from an honest and believable perspective. This is not the kind of film that would suppose that a man in an iron suit could fly through the air and take out fighter jets. Instead, First Man’s visual effects come across in a way that make the events just as believable as the scenes of Armstrong’s children playing in the back yard with their neighbors. Not only are these scenes believable, but they also do not glorify aspects that some films otherwise would. For instance, many of the shots during the takeoff scenes are shoved within the tight space of the rocket’s cockpit. The film goes to great lengths to depict the outside of the vessel from an omniscient perspective few times, choosing to focus on the experience of Armstrong and any other individuals within the vessel. This places the audience within the experience in a way that feels entirely different from viewing it as a spectacle.
In addition to the effects being portrayed realistically, they also enhance the idea that space travel can be terrifying. Armstrong’s journey in First Man is that of a man who constantly encounters the deaths of those close to him. Many of these deaths are the direct result of NASA testing, raising the stakes with every journey that Armstrong takes. Now, regardless of how the real-world events play out, the film still makes sure the audience hears every crack and shake within the vessel as it takes off. This is expertly depicted in the scene where Armstrong is piloting the Gemini 8 and a malfunction causes it to go into a spin. This scene is not for those with a weak stomach as the film combines a visual depiction of the events from within the cockpit as the audio showcases all of the noises produced from the computer, the voices of the grounded NASA scientists and engineers, as well as the creeks and scrapes of the vessel’s haul as Armstrong attempts to correct the course. This scene is exemplary of the way that First Man chooses to utilize any sort of visual effects, enhancing the story and characters in every step.
