“First Man” stars Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy in a biopic that chronicles the events leading up to Neil Armstrong’s historic first step on the moon. Directed by the 33 year-old Rhode Island born Damien Chazelle. The director of 2014’s Best Picture nominee “Whiplash”, and 2016’s Best Picture nominee “La La Land”. As “La La Land” was the talk of the country just a mere two years ago, the Internet space became worrisome at the thought of Chazelle only being capable of using Jazz music apart of his films. Once word spread that he’d be stepping away from his Jazz focused roots in an attempt to really flex his film-making ability, the collective film community knew this would be Chazelle’s biggest task yet. Not only in terms of “in film stakes”, but what this would mean for our perception of his talent going forward. Post “First Man” the question of whether or not he was a Jazz focused fluke can now be put to rest as Damien Chazelle has cemented himself as a surefire, reliable, and other worldly talent. “First Man” starts off capturing an intense flight sequence before the days of Neil being selected as a NASA pilot. Here Linus Sandgren’s cinematography sets the stage for what is to come throughout the film. The camera shakes wildly as Neil soars and we are granted an inside look into the visceral atmosphere of being a pilot. Where most films showcase elegance in the cockpit, “First Man” gives a more palpable, contextualized feeling of being surrounded by a flying metal object. In an instant, the film conveys an impressive eye for personal strokes. Not like a pat on the back, more so like a comforting grip around the body of a loved one preparing to leave you behind. It is readily apparent that the film makes sure to insert us into the complicated life of Neil Armstrong through many close-up shots of people and the interactions they share. A stylistic flourish that Chazelle masters here compared to his 2009 thesis film, “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench”. This provides the audience with an instant connection to the story of “First Man”. The story feels personal, painful, and ultimately successful through a pleasant use of soft lighting, top lighting, and low key lighting. Of which highlights the looming destination that the film’s characters desire to reach, or draws our focus to characters dwelling in their last moments of happiness before facing tragedy once more. This is achieved through a finely tuned editing technique that ellipsis many increments of the story to keep the plot tight and trusting it’s audience to fill in the blanks. This is where “First Man” may drift away for some viewers as it tasks us with playing our part more than a film normally would, but it proves seamless through key dialogue and visual cues. On a technical level “First Man” rides the wave of it’s director and performances by elevating it’s material through a profound score composition from Justin Hurwitz, and immersive sound design that shakes the auditorium like a rocket ship prepped for take-off. Leading that rocket ship is Ryan Gosling who partners with Chazelle once more after his Oscar nominated performance in “La La Land”. Here he manages to deliver an even better performance that is eerily reminiscent of his performance in 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049” as Agent K. Where emotions bubble underneath the surface as he delivers another Oscar worthy performance as Neil Armstrong. Throughout many scenes Gosling will quietly bait the audience further into Neil’s psyche as he once again perfects the art of saying more with less. Heightening emotion through doleful and grave responses that immerses us into Neil on a deeply personal level and further than we could’ve imagined. Partnered alongside Gosling is another respectable performance from Claire Foy. Of whom is starring in the upcoming “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” and is having a rather stellar year thanks to last Spring’s underseen thriller, “Unsane”. Here she is given less to work with due to a supporting role, but grounds the film in a deep affirmation of endless love that will not be squandered under any circumstances. Surely more time could have been dedicated to her role at home, but it only would have bloated the runtime for unnecessary volume regarding plot. Her minimal role also amplifies moon-sized craters worth of themes and messages funneled through Neil. Whether it be a standard theatrical release or the IMAX experience, “First Man” must be viewed in the largest format that works best for you. Despite only one sequence filmed with IMAX cameras the price of admission is worth it due to the fact that it transforms your auditorium into a rocketship. Furthering the immersion and relationship we share with the building sized screen. For nearly two and a half hours, “First Man” will send you through a wide array of emotions. Perfecting everything we love about going to the theater in 2018. Losing all sense of space and time as we are whisked away into a story chronicling one of the greatest achievements in human history. Not just exclusive to American history, but what this event means for humanity and our capabilities. Without revealing too much, the way in which Chazelle chooses to approach the legend of Neil Armstrong is profound and deeply affecting. He certainly leads this expedition to achieve what no man has done before, but the moon represents more than just the final destination for Neil. It rather represents a destination in which Neil can release the pressure that has been a thorn in his side for nearly a decade. Despite the cinematography staying closely attached to it’s subjects in frame, it speaks on distance and a lack of deeply personal relationships. As we reach that final point of release, the camera opens up and captures a dizzying array of deep space and eventually the vistas of the moon. Using the camera to speak on Neil, his journey, and finally his arc punctuated by a lingering sense of loneliness and sacrifice. Throughout the film we see his distance away from the people on Earth, but once the furthest away from them, that is when he is the absolute closest. “First Man” gets a 97/100