Spaceman (2024)

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1. 

   Siskoid

   I had read and enjoyed Jaroslav Kalfař's Spaceman of Bohemia some five years ago and was very intrigued when a film version was announced. Then it came out as simply "Spaceman", starring Adam Sandler, and I feared the worst. But what we get here is sad, depressed, restrained, dramatic Sandler, and despite the title made generic, it's somehow still about the first Czech cosmonaut, nothing has been Americanized (except in the sense that the Czech Republic has joined the Western world post-Soviet era, which was always part of the novel), and though it cuts off the last bit of the story, it hedges very close to the source material. Naturally, those who haven't read the book will be befuddled by the depressing tone and perhaps think it inspired by the COVID lockdowns. But this is a loneliness that transcends the pandemic. It's about being alone even when you're with other people because you - YOU! - have failed to open yourself up to them. The film may well recontextualize this for the COVID-era, as the novel was more about the Republic coming to terms with its isolation behind the Iron Curtain, something that doesn't really come across as strongly in the movie. Things that work in a book and all that. We're still left with a melancholy oddity that evokes Cast Away as much as Interstellar, with the volley ball replaced with an alien spider therapist. As a fan of the novel and of strangeness in general, I was reasonably satisfied. 2 weeks 6 days ago
2. 

   renemarc

   While the setting is science fiction, this is really a movie about depression. A detached man withdraws further from the world into self-imposed mental solitude to deal with his failings and demons, to process his longing for connection, and to decide between

   succumbing to melanchony or opening up and reaching out

   ,
   
   Powerful, if slow paced, like stunting unhappiness. The intemporal post-Eastern Bloc setup hints at a touch of sovietwave retro pride, while the score carries the film like an ever-present echo of sadness and hope. 3 weeks 6 days ago
3. 

   chunkylefunga

   Painful to watch. 1 month 1 week ago

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