Proxima

This (science fiction) family drama is a slow burn with no burn. It's like reheating leftovers in the oven but not turning the heat on high enough even if you leave it in for two hours. _Proxima_ is the story of an astronaut who's also a mother and thus must also deal with female / maternal issues as she trains for a mission to Mars. I'm probably alone in this, but I left the cinema feeling the director wanted me to think being a mother makes a woman less qualified and too sensitive to be a good astronaut. This take-away made me very uncomfortable, despite the sideshow of actual women astronauts with their children that's shown during the credits.

An emotive family drama that will disappoint those hoping for sci-fi bombast Written by Alice Winocour and Jean-Stéphane Bron, and directed by Winocour, Proxima is the story of a mother and daughter trying to cope with impending separation. The fact that the mother is an astronaut and that the separation will result from a year-long mission to Mars is very much secondary. Instead, we're presented with something more universal and relatable – the often contradictory responsibilities one has to one's profession and one's family. At the same time, this (unapologetically feminist) film looks at the demands placed on a woman in a male dominated field where machoism counts for something. Proxima is a quiet story that maps in great detail the sheer force of will it takes to get into the condition necessary to go space. And although the narrative does sag in a couple of places, and Winocour frustratingly abandons realism in a crucial scene towards the end, Proxima is brilliantly acted throughout. It certainly won't appeal to those looking for the grandiosity or existentialism of classic sci-fi, but it remains a moving examination of motherhood. For my complete review, please visit: https://boxd.it/11m1kn