A MILLION MILES AWAY (2023)

September 14, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. A tongue-in-cheek note just prior to the closing credits provides us with one final smile: “Jose is the first migrant farmworker to have traveled to space.” This footnote encapsulates what this biopic is all about – dreams, commitment, sacrifice, and overcoming obstacles. Writer-director Alejandra Marquez Abella and co-writers Bettina Gilois and Hernan Jimenez adapted this from Jose Hernandez’s memoir, “Reaching for the Stars: The Inspiring Story of a Migrant Farmworker Turned Astronaut”, creating a wonderful (and yes, inspirational) viewing experience for the entire family. In fact, it’s the perfect selection for family movie night (other than the youngest kids who won’t understand the themes).

Superb character actor Michael Pena (the underrated END OF WATCH, 2012) takes the lead as Jose Hernandez, who grew up in a family of migrant farmworkers bouncing from town to town for harvesting work in the fields. Even as a child, Jose worked alongside his family whenever he wasn’t in school. And it was one teacher in particular who went above and beyond to change the trajectory of Jose’s life. Recognizing his potential, and his dream of going to space, the teacher spoke with respect to his parents in terms that made sense. Her actions, along with Jose’s dad passing along his recipe for success … the five ingredients serve as chapters in the film … allowed Jose to passionately pursue his dreams.

Along the way, Jose met and married Adela (Rosa Salazar, ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, 2019), and the two began a partnership and a family … a large family. The theme of family is present throughout Jose’s story, as support and sacrifice are necessary at every step. We see group hugs in good times and bad. We see doses of reality when needed, and we learn that “tenacity is a superpower” as Jose begins his years-long pursuit of being accepted into NASA – a goal he achieved after eleven letters of regret.

Everyone faces obstacles, and some are greater than others. What sets some folks apart is their motivation to continue the pursuit. Perhaps words of wisdom from a parent or spouse hits at just the right time, or maybe it’s that one teacher who inspires a “can do” approach with a response to the “When I grow up …” essay assignment. Whatever else is involved, we recognize the tenacity that Jose displayed, and this film will likely inspire others to follow their own dreams. Supporting roles are played well by Julio Cesar Cedillo and Veronica Falcon as Jose’s parents, Garret Dillahunt and Sarayu Blue as astronauts, and Bobby Soto as a special cousin. Pena flashes the charm and likability to become the hero we admire, and director Abella eschews the cliches expected from such a story. The actual clips and photos at the end only add to this heartwarming movie perfectly suited to family movie night.

Premiers on Prime Video on September 15, 2023

WATCH THE TRAILER

1 Comment | Drama, World Cinema/Foreign | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson

ELSEWHERE (2020)

January 23, 2020

 Greetings again from the darkness. One of the best things about movies is that there are no rules. Most any story can be told by most any filmmaker in any way they see fit. Some people watch movies for escapism and purely for entertainment purposes, while others are looking for mental and creative stimulation. A separate category of movies would be what I call Lifetime Channel movies, which have been described by a friend as ‘melting brain cells faster than open bar night in Baton Rouge.’

Now to clarify, not all ‘Lifetime Channel movies’ are shown on that particular network. No, it’s more of a sub-genre that, when mentioned, is immediately recognizable to most movie lovers. As an example, take this synopsis: A handsome architect builds a seaside cottage for his beloved wife. She dies from a terminal disease, and the man goes into an emotional funk treating the house as a memorial to his wife. After two years, his wealthy in-laws evict him from the house. A spirited divorcee buys the house, and after their initial conflicts, the widower and divorcee hit it off. She brings the house and the widower back to life.  All of that is in the trailer, so I haven’t spoiled anything.

Heck, I wish there was something to spoil here, but writer-director-editor Hernan Jimenez knows what his audience wants and never leaves the path. He bookends the movie with the husband holding the urn containing the ashes of his deceased wife. We note he is surrounded by the wonder of nature: a forest of majestic trees, a gorgeous waterfall, and the picturesque coastline (filmed in Canada). Bruno is played by Aden Young, and it’s clear he has an unhealthy attachment to the house he designed and built on land owned by his wife’s parents. They give him two weeks to vacate, and Bruno moves in with his quite supportive parents (Beau Bridges, Jackie Weaver), while his loyal friend played by Ken Jeong is often close by.

Things pick up when Marie (Parker Posey) buys the cottage and hires Bruno as a contractor to bring her visions for the house to life. Of course, Bruno doesn’t tell her about his connection to the house, and somehow in this dinky little town where everybody knows everybody, no one else tells her either. As the two develop a relationship, Bruno never loses sight of his goal to get the house back. Marie is a charming and spirited woman who is writing a book on the link between moss and our lives. It’s really Marie’s outlook on life that makes the movie watchable at all, and in fact, focusing on her character likely would have provided more interesting options for the filmmaker. An even better scenario finds us crossing paths at that Baton Rouge open bar night.

watch the trailer:

2 Comments | Drama | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson