Down and Dirty: An emotional cosmic journey related to
family dynamics, slow paced, but a worthwhile space opera
Director: James Gray
Big Names: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland
Wow. Ad Astra in IMAX is a sight to behold. Here’s a quick
snapshot of the color palette used in the film:
Ad Astra is definitely more art than fun, so viewers beware.
It is truly a space opera in every sense of the word: melodramatic, long-winded,
exhausting. But with that said, I loved it. You will find a sincere father/son
connection in this movie that belies the exaggerated characters themselves: Brad
Pitt as the stoic son, Tommy Lee Jones the estranged father. If you can get
through the slow pacing, the emotional moments each character showcases make
the ticket price worth it. Blend in some phenomenal cinematography and a couple
absolutely thrilling space action sequences and voila: all systems go.
All of the elements I’ve mentioned above make Ad Astra a
good movie. What takes it to the next level is the fact that the film is a
direct representation of Brad Pitt’s real life. I’ve followed Brad Pitt’s
career as my love of movies has grown and he has absolutely ascended to the
blockbuster mountain top. Fight Club, Ocean’s 11, Inglorious Basterds,
Moneyball. All incredible films each with increasingly interesting roles that he’s
knocked out of the park. He married Angelina Jolie, made bank, and became
ultra-famous. Living the dream, right? Well as it turns out all of that glory
and ego boosting comes with a price. In the wake of his divorce it became clear
that alcohol played a prominent role in his life and fueled a domestic incident
he had with his adopted son. It wasn’t until he was faced with the dissolution
of his family that he realized there was a problem needing fixing, from a Yahoo interview:
“I would be exploring it whether there was a
script that allowed that or not,” Pitt answered. “A breakup of a family is
certainly an eye-opener that as one — and I’m speaking in general again — but
as one needs to understand, I had to understand my own culpability in that, and
what can I do better. Because I don’t want to go on like this.”
Ad Astra provided Brad Pitt the canvas to explore
prioritizing human connection over worldly achievement. For his entire life he
has prioritized perfecting his craft at a great cost. I’m positing that his
success-oriented mind did not have room for marriage, fatherhood, etc. as he
still wanted to be on the acting mountain top. This led to alcohol providing an anesthetic
to numb the pain, isolation, and loneliness one experiences in the pursuit of
greatness. He is without doubt incredible at his job and has received the
accolades to prove it, but awards merely fueled the mythos and ego mania that
prevented him from seeing the big picture.
I believe he sees that picture now per his quote. I believe
that he is starting to realize the freedoms his success has provided him to
focus on relationships, love, and human connection in place of achievement.
Even better, he has found a way to utilize his career in film as an expression
of himself in his truest form. Isn’t that the sort of balance we should all
seek? To prioritize meaningful connections over worldly success and use our
achievements to share our realest selves. Maybe those nuanced expressions will
impact someone in an unexpected way and inspire them to reach out to a loved
one, meet new people, or even … write a blog.
Ironically, Brad Pitt solidifies his place at the apex of cinema with his most grounded performance. Go see it.
Ironically, Brad Pitt solidifies his place at the apex of cinema with his most grounded performance. Go see it.
