Astronaut Farmer

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Movie
German title Astronaut Farmer
Original title The Astronaut Farmer
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2006
length 104 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Michael Polish
script Mark Polish ,
Michael Polish
production Len Amato ,
Mark Polish,
Michael Polish,
Paula Weinstein
music Stuart Matthewman
camera M. David Mullen
cut James Haygood
occupation

Astronaut Farmer (The Astronaut Farmer) is a American film drama by Michael Polish from the year 2006 .

action

Astronaut Charles Farmer, who works for NASA , gives up his job and devotes himself to running a farm.

A few years later, Farmer finds that he misses working as an astronaut. He decides to single-handedly build a spacecraft. His neighbors think he is crazy, but his family supports him. The project arouses the interest of the media, but also of the authorities, who recognize a security risk in the rocket launch. They view the project with suspicion and want to stop farmers. They also feel that they are being shown by the farmer, because if he should manage to launch the rocket successfully with comparatively few resources, they see the high funding for the state space program at risk. The start is to be prevented by threats and a protracted examination procedure.

Zeit also works against farmers, because he is heavily indebted through his project and is about to be seized. Despite the strong media coverage, he does not manage to use sponsors to raise funds for further financing, especially for the urgently needed fuel . The pressure on farmers increases, because trust also decreases in the family when the money no longer seems to be enough for essential things and the youth welfare office turns up because Farmer integrates his school-age children all day for the project. Farmer eventually falls back on inferior fuel and desperately makes a first attempt. He fails, his missile is destroyed and Farmer is seriously injured.

Farmer is discouraged, but his wife helps him with funds from the inheritance of his recently deceased father. With the support of his whole family and especially his son, whose confidence has regained, he is now able to prepare another attempt. With a clever diversionary maneuver he manages to get the high-quality fuel he needs. After a successful second launch, it will go into orbit . A malfunction in the electronics causes a communication blackout and at times causes anxious hours for the Farmer's family. However, he succeeds in correcting the error and ends up in the desert sand a few hours' drive from his farm without further incident.

He is celebrated as a hero in the credits. A short appearance on the show by Jay Leno , who initially joked about him about the utopian plan, crowns this story about a man who lived his dream.

Reviews

James Berardinelli wrote on ReelViews that the film offers "dreams, obsession, faith, courage and salvation". It includes "one or two surprises". Billy Bob Thornton could be liked; the representation of Virginia Madsen is "solid".

Kevin Crust wrote in the Los Angeles Times on February 23, 2007 that the film "perfectly" follows the scheme of films about people obsessed with an idea. In this regard, the film is so "orthodox" that the deviations from the scheme would bring joy to the viewer. Crust praised the portrayal of Billy Bob Thornton and the "strong" performance of the supporting actors.

The Lexicon of International Films wrote: “A slightly weird, fairytale-like film, elegantly photographed, carried by a convincing leading actor. He intensely reminds us of the power of dreams. "

background

The film was shot in New Mexico . Its production amounted to an estimated 13 million US dollars . The film premiered on October 15, 2006 at the Mill Valley Film Festival in the USA. The film opened in cinemas in the USA on February 23, 2007 and grossed around eleven million US dollars there.

swell

  1. ^ Certificate of Release for Astronaut Farmer . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , August 2007 (PDF; test number: 110 583-a K).
  2. ^ Review by James Berardinelli
  3. Review by Kevin Crust
  4. Astronaut Farmer. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  5. ^ Filming locations for The Astronaut Farmer
  6. a b Premiere dates for The Astronaut Farmer
  7. Box office / business for The Astronaut Farmer, accessed December 18, 2007

Web links