Everything you have heard about First Man is true. There is no shot of the American flag being rammed into the lunar surface. The cast is almost entirely white and male. The film is a brilliant technical and artistic achievement. All of these things are true, which makes it both unexpectedly divisive and a film that confounds as many as it thrills. This situation is unexpected, because you would think that a movie about America putting a man on the moon would be the height of jingoistic cinema. But, the point is, it’s not really about America putting a man on the moon; at least, not entirely.

First Man is Damien Chazelle’s third feature length film as director. The screenplay is written by Josh Singer, and is based on the book, First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong...

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