A Million Miles Away

A Magnificent True Story: From a migrant Mexican farmer’s boy to space.

A Million Miles Away ( Sept 2023) (02h 01m)

Dir. Alejandra Marquez

Starring. Micheal Pena, Roza Salazar, Julio Cesar Cedillo, Veronica Falcón and Michelle Krusiec.

What are stars for?

In a world where overnight success or enjoying the perks of it ASAP is looked up to. Trying hard to raise the standard of living and the lifestyle influenced by Instagram. Came to a movie which gave me a sense of, what it means to delay gratification. Doing all that seems mundane and boring every single day. Keeping a vision and working towards it daily, while providing for the family. Even if it looks a million miles away from where you stand today. Comes a biography where Jose Hernandez shows how utmost Tenacity and persuasiveness can take you A Million Miles Away.

My view and not a review of "A Million Miles Away".

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What happens when a migrant farmer worker's child decides to be an astronaut?

No matter how many foreign epic biopics are out there,  these people must have made their way to the stars starting from a poor, unfavourable and adverse place. Yet nothing felt as raw and real. This one stands out.  Why do I think so? Let’s find out.

It shows the struggle of a brown-skinned father or the struggle of a father not with white skin. Sacrificing home and comfort for his child’s education yet taking a stand for his child’s future. All of this is portrayed in such a subtle way, not taking it too far with tragic or intense scenes. Sometimes it’s so subtle that you may even miss it. If you are not watching it closely.

It shows even if a child’s family is going through an adverse situation and struggling daily for bread and butter, living in a foreign country away from their people. Yet if the child gets a favourable environment at school, teachers who care and encourage them can have a lasting impact on the child’s life. Even so that it can take him to the space. Because a teacher can turn a child into a force of nature and once it is done, nothing can stop him.

Sometimes or most of the time we don’t get the kind of appreciation we need from our parents. The need or expectation to be seen and heard, a son seeks from his father. What we tell ourselves to believe is that a pat of appreciation from a father might be satisfying and fulfilling. What if that day never comes? What if it is not as satisfying and fulfilling as we thought? What if we have to get stronger every single time than the last time? What if it’s going to get heavier than before?  What if getting stronger means just to believe, we are stronger enough? What if getting stronger is never enough? What if we can never be enough for our father? And that is okay.

Importance of a friend, a sibling, or cousin in our journey of life. We might believe that we are better off on our own. Can face anything which comes our way but having someone to connect to, who cares and says what we need to hear, no matter how harsh it may sound. Someone to remind us to be “grateful and go home”. Also sometimes we tend to forget and we need someone to remind us that we have made it, that we are phenomenal. Even Eminem sometimes forgets and he has to remind himself that he is…

I believe there is something each one of us might be thinking our every day, every hour, our whole life. Something that we want so badly, something we want to change. But we do a great job thinking ourselves out of it. We believe otherwise. Until someone comes who really cares, and sees you struggling and miserable. Asks you how badly you want it, and how big is it. How important is it? And it is not stupid. Even if you want to shoot for the space, you will need someone holding your hand.

It’s okay to keep a goal, a dream, and a 30-year-long vision in an era where a 30-second reel seems long. Even if you have a stable job and a loving family. You can still go for what you always wanted and hope for, no matter the rejection, no matter how many times you thought of giving up. Even if it is your 12^th attempt, it’s worth it.

Even though not everyone goes to space or dreams of becoming an astronaut, doing something unorthodox, being someone in the family to do it, and dreaming about something your entire generation would never dare to do. That will mean everything to the people, community, and that corner of the world you belong to and come from. Tenacity is a superpower.

I hope and want to believe that, even if we land on the moon, we never forget our roots. Even if you get selected for a space program. Your wife’s opinion is still important. You still want to do the dishes if she wants you to do the dishes though she is proud of you and you are in an astronaut's gear.

If you have teachers and family who believe in you it can change your life.

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I loved the way this movie is directed, never uses loud and heroic music. No aggressive camera movements when the Protagonist overcomes a challenge.  Never pushes us to believe him as a hero.  Yet Conveyed beautifully with sheer acting and simple yet clever and impactful dialogue and scenes. All I’m saying is it's simple and not easy.

Michael Pena nails it just by his soul devotion to the character. He carries the film on his capable shoulder. Like every other actor Rosa Salazar needs a special mention. She is superb and a joy to watch. I'm a big sucker for symbolic scenes and analogies. Where the director conveys his point with minimum to no words but by symbolic visuals. Beautifully done here with palms.

Simply beautiful.

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