Adam Sandler stars as a Czech cosmonaut grappling with existential matters in this impressive adaptation of Jaroslav Kalfař’s best selling 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia. Directed by Swedish musician turned filmmaker, Johan Renck. The film also stars Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman, Maestro), The Big Bang Theory alum Kunal Nayyar, Isabella Rossellini, and Paul Dano (The Fabelmans).
In a parallel universe not to dissimilar from ours, Czech astronaut Jakub Procházka is sent on a mission to the edge of our solar system to study a mysterious cloud visible to the naked eye. Back on earth, Jakub’s heavily pregnant wife Lenka has decided to leave him without explanation. As he struggles with feelings of loneliness and constant dread, Jakub’s lonely existence onboard of the spacecraft is soon shattered by a mysterious creature (voiced by Paul Dano) that purports to want to help him reach his destination.
As he gets to know the creature, Jakub is soon forced to revisit painful childhood traumas and finally reveal family secrets he has never shared before. Feelings of inadequacy and loneliness intensify as he approaches his final destination, but will this quest prove to be fruitful, or is he about to regret leaving Lenka behind.
Riffing on familiar cinematic “lonely spaceman” themes – 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar and Solaris are only a handful to come to mind – director Johan Renck does a great job of reviving the “Sad man in space” sci-fi subgenera. Here he mixes absurdist elements with familiar soul-searching themes to being us one of the most innovative films on the subject.
Sandler’s transformative performance proves once again that he is a force to be reckoned with in any genre. But it’s not just Sandler’s performance that’s likely to captivate audiences, Paul Dano’s voice work as the enigmatic creature Hanuš lends an otherworldly quality to the narrative, further enhancing the film’s sense of mystery and wonder.
At its core, Spaceman is a story about redemption, connection, and the human experience. Kalfař’s original short story has been expanded into a cosmic epic that resonates on a deeply personal level, weaving together themes of love, loss, and the passage of time.
