First Man gives us a look into Neil Armstrong’s life. I believe that he has been a very private man much of his life but it was interesting to learn more about him. It was sad to see that Armstrong’s daughter passed very young with a brain tumor. He joined NASA’s Gemini program in hopes of overcoming this difficult personal struggle and in the hopes of making a fresh start. It becomes quite apparent throughout the film that Armstrong’s tenacity and resolve to reach the Moon is tested further by the death of his friend Elliot in a plane crash and his fellow astronauts in a fire during a test for the Apollo 1 mission. I never knew of this incredible amount of personal struggle that Armstrong had to deal with to reach the level of success he did. It really makes me curious whether it possibly helped to numb him from the pain of potentially losing his own life by embarking on such a dangerous mission. This film really reminded me to understand how there is so much more to a person’s success than meets the eye.

It was a bit saddening watching the movie because of all the struggles that Neil Armstrong had to overcome before reaching his level of success. Before watching the movie, I never really thought about all he had to do before he accomplished greatness. After watching the movie I have even more respect for what he has done. In a way, his story is also motivating because it reminds me that even the most successful people experience some type of hurdles. So while the movie was in a way sad it was also reassuring for my own personal experiences.

“First man” teaches us a lot about human resilience. Armstrong’s journey to the moon is nerve wrecking. When faced with errors in flight that could decide his fate we see that his patience and persistency keep him alive. It in a way relates to my passion to do well in my classes. At times in a few assignment I may not do well but due to the goal I have in mind I make sure that I do whatever is possible to get the result I desired a quality all humans share and possess.

This film was substantially more emotional than I was anticipating that it should be. As Armstrong lost those near him, unmistakably he started to adapt by putting dividers up around himself. Towards the finish of the film, he even started to become genuinely far off from his better half, Janet, and family. Nonetheless, before he goes up into space, Janet powers Armstrong to confront this new side of himself by telling his kids that he may kick the bucket during his excursion. The journey Neil experienced to gain his title is definitely not straight, and there are hurdles along the way. I have learned to persevere through my goals until the results are visible.

After watching First Man, I have more appreciation and respect for those who pursue to become astronauts. Neil’s story shows that his journey is far from smooth and that he overcame many challenges to experience the sweet taste of success. More specifically, having so many of Neil Armstrong’s loved ones pass away, especially in critical moments of his life (i.e. preparing for a mission), Armstrong managed to hold through and accomplish being the first man on the moon. I especially thought the moment he dropped Karen’s bracelet in the Little West crater was touching. However, I did find it ironic that Neil seemed to be very emotionally affected by the his loved ones’ passing but while preparing for Apollo 11 he seemed very occupied with his preparation that he at some points neglected and pushed away his family members. Overall, I really enjoyed the film and got to know Neil as more than the first astronaut to step on the moon.

I watched the movie First Man which served to illustrate Neil Armstong’s life leading up to his historic journey to the moon. Prior to watching the film, I was unaware of the significant loss experienced throughout Armstrong’s life beginning with the loss of his daughter when she is a toddler This loss shapes the portrait of Armstrong throughout the movie as he is incredibly unemotional. Loss continues in his life as multiple of his friends and colleges in the space program die in a fire. I have experienced the loss of my grandfather and I had a similar reaction and have always felt odd as many around me had much more emotional reactions. To see another have this reaction was interesting to me in that regard.

After watching the film First Man, I felt a sense of appreciation. This is not only for Neil Armstrong himself, but I began to realize the amount of dedication and discipline it takes to be a real astronaut. At some point in a kid’s life, they are bound to say that they want to become an astronaut. Little do these young kids know that you have to be one of a kind to make it to the moon in real life. Armstrong just so happened to be one of said people who was able to overcome a difficult personal struggle and still be successful. It was heartbreaking to see how Neil Armstrong’s daughter died of a brain tumor because I had thought that such a cancer is rare at her age. 

Despite the challenges that Neil Armstrong faced as a human, it seems as if he had to make himself a robot to prepare him for his space mission. Since this was during the time period of the space race in competition with the Soviet Union, I thought that this film was going to go into the political aspects of being an astronaut that Armstrong had to follow. However, I saw the emotional toll it took on him and how his entire personality has evolved when he blocked out his family before going into space. I hypothesize that this may have to do with wanting to emotionally detach himself so he would not miss his family in space.

Last Friday, I attended the showing of First Man, a two-hour story about Neil Armstrong and his journey into space on the Apollo 11.  Going into the movie, I was expecting it to be more about the technical aspects of getting into space through the development of the spaceship; however, these took a backseat to a family-oriented story and the struggles Armstrong faced before his historic moment in space.  After his young daughter dies of a brain tumor, Armstrong joins NASA astronauts in an attempt to win the space race against the Soviet Union.  While preparing for the lunar mission, Armstrong befriends other astronauts and faces more losses in the process.

This movie was much more emotional than I was expecting it to be.  As Armstrong began to lose those close to him, it was clear that he began to cope by putting walls up around himself.  Towards the end of the movie, he even began to grow emotionally distant from his wife, Janet, and family.  However, before he goes up into space, Janet forces Armstrong to face this new side of himself by telling his children that he might die during his journey — the same kind of loss he had faced countless times before.  Thus, this movie is less about the journey to space itself and more what it symbolizes in the process of Armstrong’s development as a character and a human.

When watching the film First Man, something shocked me. While most films about America’s first expeditions into space place elevated importance on the grander story of the space race or about America’s developing space program, this film took its focus in a different direction. The main difference the plot underwent is that in the movie First Man, the focus was from the viewpoint of Armstrong and his ability to cope with the death of his daughter. This unorthodox focus is fostered while juxtaposing Armstrong’s life struggles with working to get to space with the other astronauts such as Buzz Aldrin. It seemed that by framing the focus of the film in this manner, the movie captured a more relatable experience for the viewer, one which I definitely appreciated.

In my view, the movie elicited a previously nonexistent appreciation for the mortal life concerns that I never knew existed for such a heroic figure in American history as Neil Armstrong. Without this film, I would only have seen him in the version of the mythological man who made it first to space for America during the space race. I hope that anyone who does not already have an understanding of the personal life struggles Neil Armstrong had watches the film First Man by Damien Chazelle.