Everything you need to know about Spaceman 2024. No spoilers!

Adam Sandler continues to be one of the most popular comedic actors, even if his films are not always well-received by critics. However, Sandler has not always focused on comedic projects, and for many years, he has appeared in more serious films. Sandler’s latest film on Netflix, “Spaceman,” which I will tell you about today, falls into the latter category, as it is a science fiction drama directed by Johan Renck, based on the novel “Spaceman of Bohemia” by Jaroslav Kalfar from 2017.

“Spaceman” tells the story of Czech astronaut Jakub Procházka (Sandler), who leaves his pregnant wife Lenka (Carey Mulligan) to embark on a six-month space mission to explore a mysterious cloud of dust and particles beyond Jupiter. While Jakub grapples with loneliness and the deteriorating relationship with Lenka, he encounters a spider-like creature “from ancient times” named Ganesh, who wants to better understand humans. This is what you can learn from the film’s description and trailers, but I will tell you the most interesting aspects of the film and share some of my opinions. However, no spoilers, so stay tuned!

How did you shoot the movie?

If you haven’t read the original novel, you might find it interesting to know that “Spaceman” closely follows its plot, which revolves around the adventures of Czech astronaut Jakub. A middle-aged man, a representative of the middle class, and the first astronaut of an independent country, Jakub embarks on a mission to reach a mysterious cluster of space dust and collect samples from it. However, he doesn’t feel comfortable on the space journey and misses his pregnant wife, who stayed home. Then Jakub encounters a mysterious creature aboard his spaceship, leading to a unique adventure. What sounds like the script of a sci-fi action movie turns out to be a meditative drama as Jakub and the alien first become friends and then unravel the complex relationship between the astronaut and his wife. In short, it’s not “Alien”.

For Kalfar, this cosmic tale had humble beginnings. “Spaceman” started as a short story I wrote in my final year of college,” he shared in an interview with Netflix. “Initially, it was just a short plot about an American astronaut who got stuck in orbit when his wife called and asked for a divorce.” As Kalfar developed it into a full-fledged novel, the story grew and grew, ultimately evolving into a tale of love, space, time, and the author’s own Czech family. Not bad for a college project in the senior year, right? Kalfar himself is very pleased with the adaptation. “I was absolutely blown away when I watched the movie. I’ve seen it twice already,” he said. “I think anyone who loves weird things and strange art will be thrilled by it.”

In an interview with Netflix, Johan Renck revealed some key details about the upcoming film, saying, “I really wanted him to play a role that had nothing to do with the Adam Sandler we all know,” the director said. “I don’t think people realize that although he may seem funny, cute, and all that, he’s very smart, really smart, and deep.” All these qualities were needed in “Spaceman”: for most of the film, Sandler is on-screen alone—or shares scenes with the mysterious creature that appears in the final stages of his interstellar mission.

Johan Renck, in adapting the novel, went to great lengths to captivate the audience. He succeeded brilliantly in recreating the spatial dynamics of the ship, which inside looks very Eastern European 1970s (old metal painted in shades of gray-brown and chartreuse, old equipment, many cluttered storage spaces). The casual grunge-technological atmosphere, backed by a soundtrack with eerie modernist effects, could be something akin to a television drama version of “Solaris.”

What is Spaceman about?

Sandler, speaking with a faint accent, portrays Jakub, who whiles away the time swimming inside the ship heading towards a huge psychedelic cloud of lavender color. It’s known as the Chopard Cloud, and his task will be to study what it’s made of. But the film isn’t really about his mission. It’s about his despair, fueled by the fact that his marriage to Lenka is falling apart back on Earth. He feels it even before pregnant Lenka sends him a message informing him that she’s leaving him.

Ganesh tries to understand the loneliness Jakub endured during his six-month mission and feels compelled to help him find peace among the stars. But how did this creature get there? Perhaps it’s a hallucination, a byproduct of Jakub’s insomnia. However, once the alien speaks to him with the soothing voice of Paul Dano (who has a knack for calming like no other, teetering on the edge of horror), it seems to become real. With its bony, hairy paws and six eyes, it certainly looks convincing enough. The creature refers to Jakub as the “skinny man.”

Who is Ganesh to Jakub?

Actually, it almost doesn’t matter whether he’s Jakub’s imaginary friend, like Wilson the volleyball, or a real invader. Through their discussions, Jakub’s noble aspirations begin to pale in the light of the creature’s wisdom. It starts to seem that his selfless contribution to the advancement of humanity apparently arises from more personal motives. In any case, we witness our hero being counseled by a friendly companion/therapist, such an adult puppet that looks like a monster from a 1950s horror film about nuclear war. And no, if you’re wondering, this isn’t a spoiler. Essentially, that’s the entire movie.

Portraying a giant spider, Dano faced a unique challenge: to make a creature that can evoke disgust as cute as possible. “I hope Ganesh is a little scary at first, because that’s how it should be. After all, he’s a giant spider,” Dano said in an interview with Netflix. “Spiders, especially hairy ones, aren’t for everyone. But he’s a kind soul and a wise creature. He’s a traveler in space and time. It was easy for me to love him, and I hope audiences will too.”

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The climax of the film, in which Ganesh leads Jakub into the Chopard Cloud, ultimately achieves the emotional payoff we’ve been anticipating. Ganesh describes the cloud, with its swirling violet particles and high kinetic nature, at least visually mesmerizing, as a kind of spiritual oasis embodying the unity of Jakub’s past and future. He lists everything that comes to Jakub’s mind at that moment: “Me, you, your Lenka, your father… every promise, every broken heart,” – and it’s perceived as what is described in books as “his whole life flashing before his eyes.”

As a fan of “The Big Bang Theory,” I just have to mention Petr, played by Kunal Nayyar (astronaut Rajesh Koothrappali in TBBT). Here, he serves as Jakub’s contact on Earth and one of the few human voices he has access to in the vacuum of space. Yes, his role is small, but the warmth in his voice, when you realize that at some point he’s more concerned about an astronaut 500 million km away from him than the mission itself, is just incredibly well-played.

It’s also worth mentioning Jakub’s commander – Commissioner Tuma, portrayed by the legendary actress Isabella Rossellini. What a line from her, suggesting that someone who can endure such a long journey will have to emotionally contain themselves: “All the qualities that make him capable of spending a year in space have made him… strange.” And that’s something Lenka will have to come to terms with, whether she likes it or not…

Conclusions

“The question remains open: is it really science fiction?” says Renck, among whose directorial works are series like “Vikings,” “Breaking Bad,” and all five episodes of the HBO series “Chernobyl.” “From a pragmatic point of view, it’s science fiction, but at the same time, it’s not quite what you expect from a science fiction film. It’s a slightly different type of cinema.”

Renck acknowledges that his film might be something of a shock to those expecting either a high-octane science fiction epic or an Adam Sandler comedy – and he’s perfectly fine with that. “I just want people to immerse themselves in this world and be swept away by it. Let it take you wherever it wants, without adhering to overly pragmatic and boring rules. It’s fantasy. That’s what it is. That’s the joy of making movies, isn’t it?”

In my opinion, Renck managed to demonstrate that it’s possible to create a science fiction drama about emptiness – the emptiness of space, the emptiness of the soul – and still completely captivate the audience. It seems that was the intention of “Spaceman.”

“If I knew then what I know now, I would have never left…”

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