Astronaut (2019)

Director: Shelagh McLeod

Writer: Shelagh McLeod

Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Lyriq Bent, Colm Feore, Krista Bridges, Art Hindle, Graham Greene

A lonely widower battles his family, ill health and time to win a competition for a golden ticket to space.

Lonely widower Angus (Richard Dreyfus) is living with his daughter Molly (Krista Bridges), but when his health starts to deteriorate she has no choice but to put him into a care home. Despite his reservations, not wanting to be a burden Angus moves into the care home where he resigns to the fate for his final years and befriends fellow resident Len (Graham Greene).

However, when a lottery competition offers an opportunity to win a ticket for a commercial ticket into space, Angus’s life time dream of becoming an Astronaut are suddenly renewed. With Angus battling both illness and his family, he must work with everyone around him if he is going to make his dream come true.

Astronaut is an intelligent new debut feature from writer-director Shelagh McLeod, who makes the leap from short films to feature with an extended adaption of her original short The Great Escape (2017). Compared to the rather modest setting in England of the original short, Astronaut is not only a more far-reaching in regards to the overall story which is now moved to Canada, it also benefits from a bigger production and brings together an amazingly talented assembled cast.

Despite the grandeur of the film which deals with space exploration, the heart of the film is still very grounded as it focuses on Angus and the relationships with those around him. It is great to see Richard Dreyfuss taking the lead role once again as he delivers an exceptionally versatile and powerful performance as Angus. With a melancholy start to the film you can feel the pain and weighted sadness in Angus’s eyes, there is loneliness and vulnerability to his character and a guilt that he is a burden on his family. However, it isn’t long before we see a different side to Angus when he gets an opportunity to enter a lottery for a flight in an international space shuttle and suddenly things start to turn around. The opportunity gives his Angus a rejuvenated energy, with a cheeky childlike enthusiasm and a youthful gleam in his eyes.

Throughout the film Richards character exudes an energy and warmth which seems to resonate with those around him, so it is often their interactions which work so well in the film. There is a loving and yet sometimes-tentative relationship with his daughter Molly, as their headstrong personalities and stubborn natures cause them to collide. Whilst his relationship with his grandson Barny, played with an amazing maturity by Richie Lawrence has a more mischievous tone bringing out the surprisingly youthful side to Angus. One of my favourite moments between the two is when ‘Got To Have It’ from Canadian soul and R&B singer Jacksoul is played in the radio, the natural upbeat tempo gets them dancing together and it isn’t long before the other residents join in too.

The highlights of Astronaut however is the interactions between Angus and a wheelchair bound Len. Graham Greene may be restricted with his character, especially with very few lines, but with the mannerism in his performance he still manages to speak volumes. There is little dialogue between the two, so much of the scenes are about their physical expressions of emotion, but they work so well together and the chemistry on screen creates some of the films genuinely moving moments and natural comedy.

One of the fundamental themes which the film raise awareness to is the way in which the elderly are perceived. I don’t think the actions from most of the characters including Angus’s daughter Molly, are deliberately intended to offend or be so dismissive of her father’s decisions which she opposes. Never-less the way in which Molly and her husband Jim (Lyriq Bent) act, makes Angus feel inadequate and a burden. The way in which we look at the elderly are treated different is perfectly summed up in a conversation in which Barney ask’s Angus curiously why Len doesn’t talk, to which Angus replies “Because no one wants to listen”.

The film acknowledges the fantasy element with the events which despite the more series elements of the script often takes a more light-hearted tone. With that being said you can see the research which has been conducted by Shelagh McLeod dealing with some of the complexities of such a mission which creates some of the film’s additional drama. These components are intelligently broken down in a way in which the viewer can understand without the need for a degree, whilst still maintaining some credibility by not trying to spoon feed the audience which is sometimes the case.

Visually the film looks amazing with the scenic shots during the day which perfectly capture the beauty of the area, which the night-time shots against the blanket night backdrop are especially breathtakingly. Like the people we often unintentionally choose to ignore it really manages to highlight the beauty around, if we can only stop and really take notice of what’s around us.

The moving orchestral score is excellent and works perfectly with the events with the serene scenic shots and adding a depth of emotion to the performances, such as the more sentimental moments between Angus and Len.

Astronaut may be feature debut for writer-director for Shelagh McLeod, but her previous experience with the shorts and career in front of the camera is shown on screen, as this is already one of my favourite films of the year. It is an intelligent uplifting story of which is filled with laughter, drama and a sentiment of hope, because it’s never too late to wish on a comet to chase that dream one last time.

Astronaut will be premiering at the Edinburgh Film Festival on Saturday 22^nd and will also be showing again on Monday 24th June.

You can find out more details and purchase your tickets for the film here

You can see my original interview with writer-director Shelagh McLeod for Astronaut here

Philip Rogers

Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!