Psychotronic Cinemavision: Spaceman

Czech astronaut, Jakub Prochazka (Adam Sandler) is on a solo mission investigating a particle cloud dubbed the “Chopra Cloud” that appeared  four years before near Jupiter but is clearly visible from Earth.  The ship he is on is equipped with advanced communication devices that allow him to stay in real time contact with the European Space Agency and also with his pregnant wife Lenka.  The isolation is difficult but becomes worse when Lenka no longer answers his calls.  Lenka is leaving him due to his emotional and often physical absence within the relationship and she sends him a message saying as much, but the message is intercepted by the space agency who decide at this crucial point in the mission they will not allow it to go through. When the ship is days away from the Chopra Cloud and with Jakub continually worrying about his wife, a giant spider appears on the ship and begins talking to him through a psychic connection and forces him to examine his memories and his feelings surrounding his relationship and his selfish actions towards his wife.  Jakub names the spider Hanus (voiced by Paul Dano) and the continual reliving of those painful memories brings the two strangers closer together. With both characters being so isolated from their own kind, the two bond, but their time is limited and as they approach the Chopra Cloud Jakub learns that he may have to say a permanent goodbye to his new friend.

Spaceman is a science fiction film based of the novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfar. It is in the sub-genre of retro-futuristic, meaning it takes place in an alternate futuristic version of the 1990s. The movie was filmed in both New York City and the Central Bohemian Region of Prague in the Czech Republic.  The special effects are simple yet effective and the soundtrack composed by Max Richter is excellent. The direction, cinematography and editing were all very well done creating a claustrophobic and uneasy sense of loneliness that the audience experiences with the character.  The scenes seamlessly switch between life on the ship, life on earth and Jakub’s memories and dreams.   The special effects are adequate, and nothing felt out of place or took you away from the story.

I am not a huge Adam Sandler movie fan, they are well done, but not my brand of comedy, so I went into this film with some trepidation, being hopeful, that like other comedians of his type that I would much more enjoy their dramatic performances.  This proved to be very true, and my trepidation was dispelled and replaced with an emotional connection to both leading characters, which is hard to conceive, seeing one of them is a giant spider. Adam Sandler gives an outstanding performance as the likeable but faulty Cosmonaut. This is not a monster movie or a horror film, this is an emotional drama about one mans battle with isolation and emotional connection.  The setting and the fact that what makes him confront his issues is a giant talking space spider, are the only things that really make this a science fiction film.  Jakub is a likeable character, but he isn’t perfect and as the film goes on you see how his flaws and his selfishness led to the situation he now faces with his life and his wife.  On the flip side, Hanus is also a very sympathetic character that is the last of his kind after an alien infection consumed and destroyed his world and all his loved ones.  The ending is both sad and joyful and I am not afraid to say that this movie touched me.  Is it perfect? No.  There are some missed opportunities to fully explore some of the themes it just touches on.  The film has gotten mixed reviews, but I feel it is worth a watch as I fully enjoyed the movie, and it is one of the best films I have seen this year.  Also, I am now a fan of Adam Sandler’s dramatic performances.