But something Chazzy (short for Chazelle) is great at is directing his movies in such a way where the style matches the subject matter. So here, my main man Damien Chazelle allows the story of Neil Armstrong's trek to the moon to be told in the emotionally muted and methodical manner to match its protagonist. Yet, Chazelle manages to pull this off without coming across as detached from humanity in a way that, say Christopher Nolan is sometimes criticized of doing. First Man is a very quiet movie. It allows its quietness to emphasize the grandeur that surrounds it. The soundtrack is provided by Chazelle's constant music collaborator Justin Hurwitz, who has managed to perfectly pitch four incredibly unique movies with Chazelle, Guy and Madeline On a Park Bench, Whiplash, La La Land and now First Man. The quietness and the score match to yield a tone like the Coen's masterpiece No Country for Old Men, which is hypnotic and builds the tension and gravity of the moment. This is actually a stark and unsettling tone at first, when one would expect a more conventional building through conflict and resolution leading to triumph. First Man, like Neil Armstrong, allows its actions to speak for themselves without much fanfare. This stark contrast to Chazelle and Hurwitz's La La Land shows their range and mastery of cinematic language.
On the other hand, the new collaboration here is with the Screenwriter of Spotlight Josh Singer. The script is impeccable and matches the tone perfectly. I read the biography of Neil Armstrong the film is based on last year and I have seldom seen a more rewarding film to watch having read the source material. While it is not necessary to follow the story, it is nice to see the movie pepper in details from the bio in ways that are perfectly timed while adding historical texture that plays organically with the provided dramatic tensions. There are scenes that feature minor and major equipment failure during missions that specifically call to mind with great detail recollections in the book. Yet, these details aren't pedantic and distracting. The balance between historical faithfulness and dramatic storytelling is met perfectly.
Now, First Man's Oscar showings were disappointing, but I try and not let these kinds of things bother me. Yet, humorously, the category I may anticipate the most is the one First Man seems to be the favorite in: Sound Editing. I will be on the edge of my seat for the Sound Editing award this year. I mean, I hope it finds a way to take any of its other three nominations, Sound Mixing (Okay, the obligatory explanation of Sound Editing vs Mixing. Sound Editing is the creation of sounds used in a movie and Sound Mixing is the actually piecing of these together. Though it's possible I have those "mixed" up), Visual Effects and Production Design. Wow. Production Design. I don't dare hope that First Man takes home Production Design.
