Sunday Short Theatre – Astronaut (2019)

Joe Connor‘s Short Film Astronaut is a perfect choice for this week’s Sunday Short Theatre. The film may have been released in 2019 but it’s resonant’s in many levels with today.

The synopsis is short but sweet – “An astronaut struggles to adapt to his changing world”

So what connects this film with today? Isolation, loneliness, solitude and forced to adapt. Sounds familiar? Yes! All things that tie into the corona virus pandemic and we can all relate to this. Also our ‘Astronaut’ finds himself unemployed and millions of people world share this plight. No fault of their own, just a pandemic that’s taken many peoples livelihoods away from them.

Joe Connor has made his name making numerous music videos and Commercial projects (Coldplay, Sam Smith, Nike). This short film he has been working on since 2010. The self isolation,social distancing, periods of time with no one around, all something the director experienced.

Is it me, does our titular character feel like Charlie Chaplin ala Modern Times?

Here’s two famous quotes that have spiritual meaning to the director, inspiring this film…

The regret on my side is, they used to say they’re reading in science class – Now they say they’re reading in history class.
– Neil Armstrong 1999

Space flight is an escape, a fleeing away from oneself because it’s far easier to go to mars or the moon than it is to penetrate one’s own being.
– Carl Gustav Jung 1966

Source: Film Shortage