An Exploration of Consciousness

An Exploration of Consciousness: A Review of Spaceman

Spaceman opens with a seemingly familiar premise: one man alone in space on a mission to explore a new phenomenon overtaking earth’s atmosphere: the cloud. Adam Sandler, as the famous Czech astronaut Jacob, broadcasts a smile for the world to see six months into his year-long important mission. A question from the audience- a 6th-grade girl- focuses the lens of the narrative: “is it true you are the world’s loneliest person?” Jacob answers no, and we get a gleam that his self-denial may be the real target of this movie’s mission. From here we see the dissolution of a mind irrevocably alone- the filming style is unbalanced, floaty, and spinning, mirroring Jacobs's inner state of mind. As a female not so interested in space movies or even science fiction, I was yawing and pushing my Husband’s buttons on the couch out of my disinterest, wondering how I was going to be entertained by a bedraggled Adam Sandler alone in space for another two hours. 

Just as I was losing all hope, we meet Sandler’s co-star: a wise and omniscient alien/spider creature. Still unsure, I was more intrigued, and I put an end to my endless Instagram scrolling. Before seeing the creature, we hear only a voice- deep and steady, commanding and sure. There is a remnant of Moses’s burning bush- the shock and fear of God’s commanding voice. Ultimately, as a piece of Jacob’s own consciousness, he beckons to the call and overcomes his fear of the alien creature in exchange for a wise companion. Yet the curious and all-knowing Hanush is not your ordinary house pet or resident alien. The corners he inhabits are those of the mind, and the web he spins is one of self-reflection- through Jacobs's painful memories of childhood and ultimately his failing marriage with his pregnant wife Olinka. Through sharing his Nutella, and the most inner locked away truths of his being, a movie about space exploration becomes one of a different kind: exploration of one’s consciousness. The aliens we encounter are the ones of our own mind- what we fear, what we hide, who we are, and how we fail. Hanush’s presence and prodding while at first uncomfortable and unwanted, become the center of Jacob’s gravity, the peace that comes in entering the new beginning of one's self fully realized.  The value of Spaceman is in what it prompts: a conversation with oneself.