Adam Sandler

Paul Dano

Carey Mulligan

Kunal Nayyar

Isabella Rossellini

Lena Olin

Petr Papánek

Marian Roden

Zuzana Stivínová

Sinéad Phelps

Sunny Sandler

John Flanders

Bash Doran

Petr Bláha

Mikuláš Čížek

Jessica Bechyňová

Soňa Tichá

Kimberly Han

Young Lee

Elke Luyten

Jakob Ihre

Max Richter

Jan Houllevigue

Scott Cummings

Barry Bernardi

David Minkowski

Luca Borghese

Petr Forejt

Bartek Swiatek

Andrea Mae Fenton

Roland N. Thai

Megan Tanner

Ilaria Zamprioli

Thomas Varga

Ben Ormand

James B. Appleton

Johan Renck

Matthew Stillman

Max Silva

Tereza Patockova

Wyatt Sprague

David Schlesinger

Ann Pala

Ryan Heck

Chris Shriver

Rick Chefalas

Deborah Wheatley

Lauren Rockman

Lauren Ritchie

Benjamin K. Cox

Bryan Litson

Leann Murphy

Paddy Kelly

Eric Miller

Katya Blumenberg

Eric Frazier

Kate Hoyt

Monica Barraza

Skye Radies

Devin Maggio

Dino Doane

Ilya Churinov

Ravi Kumar

Colby Day

Charlotte Chapman

Keith Campbell

Karl Van Moorsel

Mark Rimmer

Garrett Warren

Justin Yu

Nina Kuhn

Michael Hansen

Jan Homolka

Marek Simbersky

Josef Jelínek

Petr Kotík

Norb Phillips

Zuzana Drdacka

Simon Rhee

Ming Qiu

Duane Burkhart

Brett A. Jones

Klára Palivcová

Aaron Becker

Michael Li

Pat Romano

Marek Svitek

Tim James

Paul Eliopoulos

Alexander McCaslin

Matthew Pebler

Jaroslav Kalfař

Rachel Jaros

Carmen Dima

Mariela Comitini

Marek Smehlik

Nina Gold

Vit Kramar

Daniel R. Teplan

Jess Coffer

Robert Sterne

Jason A. Caballero

Anna Mayerová

Ram Goradia

Jameson Buston

Catherine George

Simon Smith

John Axelrad

Reid Carolin

Lia Buman

Channing Tatum

Michael Parets

Tim Headington

Peter Kiernan

Skip Lievsay

Lauren King

Science Fiction

Adventure

Drama

Spaceman

Free Association

Tango Entertainment

Sinestra

United States of America

Brent Marchant

From time to time, a movie comes along that’s hard to define, and, hence, it’s hard to know what to make of it. Such is the case with the second feature outing from filmmaker Johan Renck, a director best known for TV commercials and music videos, a reputation that bleeds through at times in this production. Viewer opinions and interpretations of this one are all across the board, making “Spaceman” one of the most challenging releases to peg in recent memory. This space-faring sci-fi release tells the tale of an astronaut (Adam Sandler) on a solo, long-term deep space mission to investigate a mysterious anomaly. However, he’s experiencing a profound sense of loneliness that’s distracting him from carrying out his quest, in large part because of marital troubles with his pregnant wife (Carey Mulligan) back on earth. As he seeks to sort out these matters, though, he’s further sidetracked by the unexpected appearance of an enigmatic alien that resembles a large nimble spider (voiced by Paul Dano) who possesses a profound philosophical wisdom. But how will all of this shake out, and what effect will it have on the mission? This scenario makes for an intriguing premise, but what exactly is the filmmaker’s intent in carrying it out? There are mixed tonal aspects here, some of which seem sincere, with others that come across as cheeky and cheesy, as if the director is giving the audience a good, sidelong wink. Indeed, it’s often difficult to tell which way the narrative is supposed to go. And, if straddling the fence is the real intent, it doesn’t quite work. So where does that leave us? I suppose it’s up to viewers to decide for themselves, but that seems shamelessly noncommittal. Based on the film’s attributes alone, there are good arguments for and against this offering. For instance, its ample metaphysical and philosophical insights are cogently presented and easy to understand, even if a bit saccharinely encrusted at times. It also represents a promising step up for Sandler’s attempt at reinventing himself as an actor in search of more substantive roles than the inanely silly parts he’s best known for. And the picture’s numerous deftly placed allusions to other sci-fi/fantasy projects enhance the narrative nicely, as seen in homages to “Interstellar” (2014), “Solaris” (2002), “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022) and even the lyrics to David Bowie’s Space Oddity. However, tedious pacing, occasionally poor sound quality and less-than-stellar visual effects (especially in the alien’s supremely tacky appearance) get in the way, further adding to the inherent overall ambiguity noted earlier. This one is thus up to you – and don’t be surprised if you come away from it with a different interpretation than what’s written here.

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots

In director Johan Renck’s science fiction fantasy “Spaceman,” adapted from Jaroslav Kalfař’s 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia, viewers are taken on a philosophical journey into the depths of one man’s self-inflicted loneliness that manifests as a nightmarish friendship with a giant space spider. It takes a lot of guts to attempt a screen adaptation of such an abstract story, but Renck pulls it off, mostly with the help of a strong lead performance from Adam Sandler.

Dubbed “the loneliest man in the world,” Jakub (Sandler) is six months into a solitary mission to investigate a mysterious phenomenon that lies on the edge of the solar system. Realizing the wife (Carey Mulligan) and marriage he left behind will likely not be there waiting upon his return, his desperation to repair the relationship grows. One day, Jakub discovers a giant alien spider he calls Hanuš (voice of Paul Dano) hiding in the ship. With the new companion on board, he develops an unlikely kinship and intense emotional bond with the creature.

This is a story about two lonely travelers who find comfort in each other. They share deeply profound conversations about the nature and meaning of life, love, death, and the sting of regret and grief that can overpower a person’s existence. Jakub’s ambition has destroyed his life and his relationship, and his grip on reality is drifting away (there possibility is left open for viewers to decide if Hanuš is imaginary or indeed real). The spider can somehow read Jakub’s mind and access his life’s memories, and there’s a lot of hurt and emotional turmoil that’s been building up for decades. It’s a story of what it means to be human, but also one of companionship and mutual understanding.

The effects crew did a bang-up job animating Hanuš, and the spider looks and feels real both physically (with his glossy eyes and hairy body) and emotionally (thanks to a moving voice performance from Dano). The spider is authentic with sympathy and companionship, and the friendship that develops between Hanuš and Jakub, whom he affectionately calls “skinny human,” is genuine. Sandler is an accomplished dramatic actor (something that’s easy to forget), and he is absolutely great here, depicting a tormented soul that’s well-worn with loneliness.

Pensive and poignant, “Spaceman” isn’t going to be for everyone. There’s no denying that it’s a very weird film, but there is an abundance of thoughtful reflection about the struggle with confronting loneliness that’s told in a highly creative way.

By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS