Review: 'Proxima' Stays Grounded While Reaching for the Stars

While there have been a few TV series in the past couple of years that have dealt with the topic of an astronaut leaving their child behind on Earth for an extended period of time, none have quite been as realistically effective as Alice Winoccour's "Proxima."

Starring Eva Green in one of her warmest performances, "Proxima" takes place about five weeks before French astronaut Sarah Loreau leaves on a mission for the International Space Station that will test the human limits on Mars. A single mother, Sarah pretty much goes it alone and has a close relationship with her daughter Stella (Zelie Boulant). Because she is set to begin her final weeks of training/preparation, she has some help taking care of her daughter from her ex-husband Thomas (Lars Eidinger) - especially now that she is going out on an extended mission aboard the International Space Station.

She is further assisted by Wendy (Sandra Huller), who is a mother-by-proxy for astronauts with children. But knowing she will be well cared for doesn't help her sadness at leaving her daughter, and the guilt that she might be doing the wrong thing.

It also doesn't help that she is the one woman among a throng of male astronauts, and one woman of three that will be going aboard the station. To add insult to injury, Mike Shannon (Matt Dillon) isn't the most PC astronaut either, constantly making misogynistic comments and worrying that Sarah isn't up to the task because she's a mother.

All of this gives Sarah resilience, but the struggle that goes on inside her as she watches others care for her daughter in the weeks before blasting off takes its toll. And Green plays it beautifully.

While this is a movie about going into space, most of the running time is an earth-bound affair, with Sarah and Stella navigating the mixed emotions of her upcoming departure. Green, known for stranger roles (Tim Burton films, "Penny Dreadful") hasn't always come across the sunniest in the past. And while she is having a hard time throughout much of the film, there is a genuine empathy and compassion that aligns with her strength that gives her a humanity that makes this one of her most accessible and best roles in years.

The young Boulant is also very good, capturing the confusion of what's going on, the despair at her mother's leaving, and the excitement for what her mother is achieving. It's a mixed bag of feelings that she carries effectively.

Winocour's script (with Jean-Stephane Bron) is incredibly perceptive of a number of issues that hit Sarah at once. Whether it be the misogyny, the guilt, the longing for her ex-husband, and the need to prove herself, the character is complex, but not written in a hammer-over-the-head way. We feel like a fly on the wall with Sarah and Stella, and it's to Winocour's credit that the film doesn't fall into over-sentimentality. The quiet, touching moments are just that – quiet and touching. There aren't any final reel bombastic score tracks or a seventh hour run to reunite with her daughter. It's just life.

And in that life, there is a calming awakening that things will be okay.

"Proxima" lands on Digital and VOD on 11/6.