Ad Astra - 2019
Let's make no bones about it. I WANTED to make this film my number 1. I really waaanted to so bad. Many years I would have. But, top to bottom, there were just two that it couldn't surpass. Still, I will say unequivocally that Ad Astra was the single most moving picture that I saw in 2019.
This film completely blew me away. I was not ready at all for how fantastic it would turn out to be. But, now I'll say confidently it was one of the best sci fi films I've ever seen. Moreover, it's one of the best ruminations on fathers and sons and their connectedness and disparities as well. In talking with friends, I think it's pretty clear that what you go in expecting of Ad Astra will significantly affect your viewing experience. If you're looking for loads of action, a sex scene, and high stakes suspense, this film is not for you.
Instead, we have a mostly quiet and meditative picture, that is nevertheless punctuated by these highly suspenseful moments. Examples of this would be the sequence where Pitt and co. are being chased by pirates across the surface of the moon, a fight with deranged baboons on an abandoned ship, and the pilot mutiny battle. There are these great suspense sequences. Then there are just LOADS of atmosphere and quiet, and these incredible visuals which match the mood step for step. The cinematography of the film is just phenomenal, and it really visually dictates this pensive ambience.
I thought the first hour was great in Pitt's exhilarating quest to get to the far reaches of the solar system. Conversely, the last half hour was sensational as a bigger and deeper reflection on the nature of our place in the universe and our deep blood-tied connections to our fathers. Spoilers aside, the end is sort of quietly heartbreaking, like the idea of Jacob wrestling with God until dawn. We witness a physical confrontation with Pitt's father and the astronaut finally breaking out of his emotionless shell to release all of the anger, hurt, and pain he's been keeping inside since his childhood abandonment. We learn it is these same things which has been estranging him from the people closest to him back home.
This movie takes emotions and makes them physical (visual). So feelings of loneliness or isolation become wondrous visuals of deep space, billions of miles away from any living thing. Anger and hurt towards a parent becomes manifest as two men physically locked in a struggle. The final tally becomes quite breathtaking: the mood, the music, the cinematography and acting, the nuances of tone, the way it blends suspense and calm. All combine to make Ad Astra a true gem and well worth the watch.
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