Space is never seen first-hand in Alice Winocour’s third feature; a punishing drama about an ambitious female astronaut and mother (Eva Green) preparing for a one-year mission to mars.
Instead, the filmmaker uses the destination of space to externalise Proxima’s central conflict between Sarah (Green) and Stella (Zélie Boulant), the eight-year-old daughter that she’s leaving behind.For Sarah – who is a replacement astronaut on the exploratory mission – space is her reward for years of dedicated training and stargazing reverie.
For Stella – who is shy and suffers from learning difficulties – space is the omnipotent force pulling her mother away from her and towards an uncertain fate. “Will you die before me?” she asks before they pack up.
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