"Spaceman" is a sci-fi movie on Netflix that stars Adam Sandler. When it comes to Adam Sandler, my impressions are primarily comedic. He has carved out his niche in the realm of comedy, but in "Spaceman," I admired his acting, seeing a different side of him as an actor. The plot revolves around a spaceman collecting ancient dust at the galaxy's edge, only to find his life on Earth unraveling, prompting him to seek help from a mysterious creature lurking aboard his spaceship.
"Spaceman" initially appears to be a sci-fi thriller, mentioning a "mysterious creature" hinting at extraterrestrial encounters. However, the movie takes an unexpected turn, focusing on Jakub's profound sense of loneliness after an extended space mission. This theme of loneliness is a common thread in space-related works, and "Spaceman" delves into it through philosophical dialogues between Jakub and an extraterrestrial spider, exploring topics like "trauma," "the essence of love," and even "the taste of bacon." This unique approach makes "Spaceman" a must-watch for fans of philosophical sci-fi.
Directed by Johan Renck, "Spaceman" offers a distinct visual aesthetic that captures a sense of solitude and poeticism. As part of the European Space Program, Czech astronaut Jakub embarks on his 189th day in space, tasked with collecting a mysterious purple star cluster. Daily, Jakub goes about his routine tasks until he struggles to contact his wife, Lenka, who has grown tired of their distance and decides to leave him. Faced with infinite loneliness and longing, Jakub encounters a giant extraterrestrial spider named Hanus in his spacecraft, which gradually begins to share life and pain with him.
What sets Hanus apart in "Spaceman" is its ability to evoke Jakub's loneliness and troubles, even materializing these emotions. Throughout the plot, Jakub unknowingly becomes deeply attached to his memories, indicating his desire to maintain some connection with the world. Rather than encountering something fundamentally incomprehensible, Jakub faces a feeling of loneliness that we all know. Through the director's lens, the audience deeply feels the amplified loneliness experienced alone in outer space. Thus, by evolving Jakub's memories into a "dream world" and disrupting the connection with reality, "Spaceman" takes on a pseudo-scientific tone, blurring the lines between illusion and reality.
The narrative of "Spaceman" revolves around the dialogue and philosophical speculation between the emotional trauma and the extraterrestrial spider, Hanus. The emotional aspect relies on Jakub's inner "lonely fantasies," Hanus gradually helps him dig into this sense of self-lost loneliness. What I find particularly intriguing is how Hanus explores facets of Jakub's loneliness that we wouldn't typically consider, acting as an external third party to probe Jakub's loneliness objectively.
Throughout the film, viewers wonder whether Hanus is a "real extraterrestrial creature" or a "figment of Jakub's imagination." The director employs both approaches to allow audiences to imagine and judge for themselves. While Hanus claims, "I am as real as you," there are scenes suggesting that Hanus is a figment of Jakub's psyche. The director has mentioned that in designing such scenes, he intended for Hanus to be an actual entity, demonstrating the ability of extraterrestrial beings to engage in psychokinetic communication and learn human emotions. This concept is unique, as sci-fi films typically portray extraterrestrial beings as "threatening entities," but "Spaceman" takes a different approach.
The entire story of "Spaceman" is a process of Jakub's self-deconstruction. The director adeptly portrays the feeling of loneliness, which is challenging for humans to depict accurately. However, as we witness Jakub's regrets and confrontations with trauma and choices, coupled with his disappearance on Earth as if he were "evaporating from existence," the exploration of existentialism is excellent. The film delves into the theme of loneliness by fully exploring how a person, devoid of any connections on Earth, would feel forgotten and unmissed. Through its unique approach to the theme of loneliness and visual presentation, "Spaceman" effectively touches on the unknown and incomprehensible.
In conclusion, "Spaceman" is a particularly unique space sci-fi film, best described as a psychological character study of a person's soul and the vastness of space. Despite deeper contemplations, the film's core story remains simple yet profound. Through this journey, the director leads us to explore the meaning of love, neglect, and the importance of human connections. Therefore, the film is a fantastic exploration of humanity with great depth.
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