When I opted to watch First Man, I was doing it for a number of reasons: my loyalty towards Damien Chazelle, who I find to be a massively talented filmmaker (and one that, despite the criticisms of his detractors, has not come close to peaking yet, even if his breakthrough moments with Whiplash and La La Land were unbelievably successful for a novice like Chazelle), my interest in American history (particularly the Cold War period), and because a part of me still remembers the time when I had the boyish delusion of wanting to be an astronaut, venturing off into space as if it was the most straightforward of adventures. We have no shortage of films set in space (perhaps a tad too many, if we’re being completely honest), so I wasn’t expecting anything more than a reliable biographical drama about the world’s most famous astronaut, Neil Armstrong. I wasn’t expecting one of the most powerful films of the year, a cerebral film focused on one man and his (meta)physical journeys, whether it be to the endless grandeur of space, or the intimate confines of his own mind. There are few films that impacted me as much as First Man, and I don’t think I’d be dishonest if I called this one of the year’s best films – and considering it was such a surprising film, one that doesn’t bear much similarity or resemblance to other films of its kind, with some of the more predictable elements of similar films being almost entirely absent, I would say that despite some harsh criticism, First Man is a great success. First Man is a towering masterwork that sees Chazelle not only demonstrating himself to be capable of more than what we’ve come to expect from him but also someone with such intricate control over the filmmaking process, he is destined to become one of the greats.

Here is where First Man profoundly succeeds – it subverts expectations. When going into this film, you expect one of two things – either, this is a film that will be an All-American tale about the most patriotic of all astronauts, on a mission to put the United States at the top in a very contentious battle of wits, power and might with the Soviet Union, a triumphant biographical film that looks into his struggles and his subsequent glory. Alternatively, you expect a thrilling action film filled to the brim with adrenaline and excitement as we see this history-making expedition to conquer the universe and bring glory to a nation only doing this to prove that they can, rather than for any logical reason. First Man is neither of these, but this isn’t immediately clear – which is why I expect the polarized reactions. First Man approaches its subject with great intensity, and it doesn’t strive at all to be an inspiring film, nor one that is supposed to stir any feelings of patriotic pride or sentimental nostalgia to one of the most thrilling missions in recent history. With First Man, Chazelle and writer Josh Singer took aim at the psychology of Neil Armstrong, examining him over the years leading up to the Apollo 11 mission. It investigates his personal life, looking at his relationship with his wife and children, focusing on how his personal tragedies are not merely objective facts in his inspiring rise to fame and fortune, but indelible elements of his life that influenced his actions. First Man is a thought-provoking film, and it is within its attention to the inner machinations of the protagonist that the story finds its true inspiration, which it gains through a challenging but fascinating depiction of Neil Armstrong and his personal quandaries, whether it be in his role as an astronaut risking his life for Uncle Sam’s relentless pursuit of dominance, or as a man trying to be the best possible husband and father for his loving family.

Neil Armstrong is undeniably one of the world’s most enduring figures, someone who didn’t only successfully represent the United States in one of their proudest achievements, but a worldwide icon that left an impact on history. First Man repurposes the story in such a way that he is never glorified or made to appear more special than he actually was. The film shows Armstrong as just an ordinary man, but one with tenacity and determination, and a relentless spirit to succeed and face any adversity that may come in his way. Perhaps this approach is starkly different from what we’d normally expect, and it wouldn’t be amiss to think that a film about Neil Armstrong would show him as this faultless, charming hero who successfully executes a death-defying mission to out of space. First Man shows Armstrong as a stoic, composed individual without much palpable emotion (in public at least, there are some wonderful moments of cathartic emotion scattered throughout the film), but one that is far from being one-dimensional or uninteresting. He is not the wise-cracking, perfect hero we normally see – he is a man who often finds himself defined by his failures, yet one always looking to put in the full extent of his effort, even if it means leading himself into harm’s way for the sake of the country – yet, we are asked the question of whether Armstrong is loyal to his country, or to his friends and family, or just to himself. First Man takes the form of a complex character-study, and there are instances where the psychological side of the story eclipses the more conventionally-enthralling parts, which results in a film that is just as meaningful as it is captivating.

First Man sees Ryan Gosling at his very best, once again occupying a stoic character with an abundance of complexities that are not immediately clear to those around him. First Man does not feature Gosling giving his most charismatic performance, but it is him giving one of his most meaningful ones. The role, on the surface, doesn’t seem to require much from the actor – Armstrong is shown to be distant, detached and very private, which is certainly true of Gosling’s performance – but his emotions are extremely internalized, but not to the point where they are not evident in the right moments. As mentioned above, there are more quiet moments of introspection and reflection where we see Armstrong’s inner turmoil, his fears and anxieties, as well as the trauma he has experienced through the various tragedies that occurred in his life, coming to the fore. The interactions between the personal and the professional are handled with deft precision by Gosling, who is just extraordinary. Contrasting him is Claire Foy, who does so much with a role that could have been just inconsequential – First Man is not an ordinary biopic about an extraordinary man, and thus Foy’s performance extends far beyond being that of the perpetually supportive wife. Her role is challenging in its own way, and the amount of focus her character gets in the film demonstrates how First Man is not just a film about Neil Armstrong and his challenges in reaching the Moon, but also the challenges of his family, who had to sit aside and hope that everything goes well. Foy has some terrific moments, especially in her interactions with Gosling. Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll and Jason Clarke are the most substantial of the supporting cast, and they each give dedicated performances in roles that are not particularly extensive, but absolutely pivotal, not only to the central mission but to Armstrong’s journey, both as an astronaut and as a human being. The cast of First Man is exceptional, and regardless of the size of the role, everyone delivers fascinating, nuanced depictions of these men and women whose struggles we hardly ever see with such profound clarity.

In all honesty, I thought First Man was going to be dull, just another quasi-jingoistic biographical drama about the Space Race and nothing more than a blatant exploration of American Exceptionalism, the same kind of story we have been subjected to for years and seem to have very little escape from. Moreover, the Apollo 11 mission is such a well-known event, it would have been difficult for any film to create any suspense or intrigue into a story we ultimately know the resolution to. Criticism towards this film that points to the lack of suspense doesn’t seem to understand that what makes First Man so fascinating is that the actual mission, while still pivotal to the storyline, is not nearly as interesting as the rest of the film, and this is where the strengths of First Man reside – we all know how the mission occurred, but we were never so privy to the personal lives of these people, and First Man allows us unfettered access into the private life of Neil Armstrong, and the film’s most powerful moments don’t come from the successful execution of the mission, but the realization that there were countless experiences, several heartbreaking tragedies and towering triumphs, that led to this very moment. Neil Armstrong didn’t successfully command the Apollo 11 mission because he was a great engineer and astronaut on his own merits – he did it through the people he encountered on his journey. The approach to looking at the mission from the psychological perspective was a risk that certainly did pay off because First Man is a powerful and awe-inspiring film that prioritizes the individual as opposed to the grander story, which gives new meaning to an extremely well-known story.

Another way First Man differs is that it doesn’t glorify the Apollo 11 mission in a way that is inauthentic or entirely predictable. There is very little doubt that Neil Armstrong and his crew were heroic, but they should be admired for their courage and bravery as individuals rather than representatives of the nation. First Man doesn’t downplay the innovation of the American space programme, but it also refuses to see it as something without flaws – there are moments where some characters openly admit that the mission to the Moon is little more than an excessive demonstration of American might, serving to exist for the purpose of national glory. The practicality of the mission is called into question, especially in a montage where we see the members of the public (both through archival footage and reenactments) making their disdain for the programme clear. In a way, this gives First Man far more nuance than other space films – it doesn’t isolate the subject, and manages to look at the story from the perspective of others, which adds a considerable amount of gravitas to the story. This is not necessarily a story about America, this is a story about a group of people who risked their lives for the sake of nothing more than an attempt to have national dominance. The detractors do

First Man is an incredibly intelligent film, one that takes us underneath the surface of a familiar story, and lets us into the world of NASA in a way that is never condescending or pedestrian – understandably, as I’ve said countless times, there is a certain inaccessibility throughout the film that comes at the expense of the complete lack of traditional sentimentality – the emotions in First Man are never forced or inauthentic, and everything in this film feels genuine and thus leaves a great impact. This is a film that builds itself out of a series of episodic moments that work towards a resonant whole, a film imbued with extraordinary nuances and a meticulous attention to detail. In short, First Man is a film with a narrative that pays respectful tribute to its subjects without resorting to excessive oversentimentality or unnecessary manipulation of the story to incite a certain reaction – the anxiety, the fear and ultimately the awe-inspiring wonder that the audience feels is authentic. This isn’t even to mention the visual aesthetic, with cinematographer Linus Sandgren once again delivering a film that is far more beautiful than the subject would suggest – whether it be on Earth or in space, the world of First Man is brimming with endless pulchritude, and leaves an unquestionably powerful impact on the viewer.

First Man is certainly one of the best films I’ve seen this year, and while I was expecting a simple and traditional, but otherwise reliable, biographical drama, I could not have possibly anticipated something as complex and layered as this film was. Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy are tremendous and give fully-dimensional performances that are capable of exquisite restraint as well as volcanic intensity, depending on the requirements of the scene. The visuals are utterly stunning, the story is toweringly beautiful and the film as a whole is a resonant, moving film that comes together into something nothing short of incredible. To put it reductively, I’ll leave you with the words of my friend in his thoughts on the film: “First Man is out of this world!”, and it could quite possibly be the year’s very best.