Writer and director Jess Varley provides to Mara’s personal expertise with the real-world analysis she did into the area oddities and “anti-gravity” desires actual astronauts have skilled after returning dwelling.
“I looked at real symptoms that astronauts have,” Varley tells us. “Sam crash lands in the beginning of the movie, so I felt like there was some license we could take with bruising, spreading on her body, while trying to keep everything as grounded as possible… I wanted her condition to feel organic, like it was unfolding before our eyes in a real way, so that it never felt prosthetic-heavy or overly-stylized. I tried to keep it as grounded as possible.”
That stated, Varley did draw inspiration from different movies, specifically one about girls present process a disaster of id, and the lads of their life doubting them each step of the best way.
“I love Black Swan,” she says of the 2010 Darren Aronofsky film. “That actually was a bit of an inspiration for The Astronaut. We have this unreliable narrator, and some other elements that may be a little spoilery, so I won’t say. But it’s fun creating these red-herring moments where we’re not sure if we can trust [Sam].”
Lest it sound like The Astronaut is one other film about folks mistrusting a girl, Varley provides, “She’s not sure if she can trust herself and it helps us to sort of enjoy the ride, but also leaves enough room for us to hopefully be shocked at where the movie ultimately goes.”
Producer Brad Fuller notes that sense of a thrill experience as one of many most important appeals to a style movie like The Astronaut. “People go to the movie theaters to have a shared experience,” he explains. “And genre movies really offer an incredible opportunity for everyone in the movie theater to scream.”
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