Image Courtesy Of TIFF
Most will know Eva Green for her role as Vespa Lynd in the first Daniel Craig 007 adventure Casino Royale, or perhaps her subsequent teamings with director Tim Burton for the likes of Dark Shadows, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children or even the more recent Dumbo, but the 39-year-old started her career in French theatre before embarking on her hugely successful film career. With Proxima, she returns predominantly to a feature using her native tongue, a largely absorbing character drama about an astronaut dealing with the pressures of life at home while, at the same time, working towards a career-defining, year-long trip to the International Space Station.
Green is Sarah, a single mother with a successful career – in space aeronautics no-less, who is in heavy training for a major work trip; one to outer space and a year-long stint on the ISS for a prep-exercise in readiness for scientists sending our first manned-mission to Mars. Sarah’s young daughter Stella (Zélie Boulant-Lemesle) will, however, be left behind, and while Alice Winocour’s impressive third feature is interested in taking us on a journey into the technical build-up to the mission – in meticulous detail, it is equally curious in looking at the impact her career has on home life and, in particular, on her young daughter.
Also along for the ride is Matt Dillon as a headstrong, though caring American co-worker and fellow astronaut, one who, when we are first introduced to comes across as a little misogynistic, though there’s much more to the character than what is initially suggested.
The film charts Sarah’s journey through the brutal build up to her big mission, the peaks and troughs of a vicious training regime, and her struggling with balancing her sky-high aspirations and the normality of everyday life; notably the struggles of raising a young daughter on her own.
Proxima is an intimate and intricate affair, flagging up the tiniest of details in the logistics and preparation needed for space travel – all told from Sarah’s perspective. It’s an interesting watch and highlights the kind of things the viewer may not think of when thinking of the planning that goes into heading off into space.
Green has never been better in the central role, and shows confident and comfort in er surroundings. She’s joined by an impressive cast, Boulant-Lemesle especially worthy of mention as the young girl at the heart of the story. Dillon too shows off his acting chops in a more minor role than his usual fare. There are even fleeting appearances from real astronauts in minor roles and the entire production chose to film at the actual locations in which certain scenes are set – the ESA in Cologne and Star City just outside of Moscow as two examples. This adds to the realism and authenticity to the piece which remains throughout.
A brilliant-told space drama without the space setting, while also being a wonderful character examination of family, love, balance, and the strive for perfection with pitfalls and obstacles aplenty in a supremely male-dominated world. I really liked it.
Proxima was reviewed at TIFF 2019.
