In the end credits of Proxima the names and images of mothers and their children are shown, family portraits where each of these women are kitted out in full astronaut gear. These brave women are the real-life individuals that Proxima honours. Through exploring Sarah Loreau’s (Eva Green) aspiration of leaving earth, while battling her role and responsibility as a mother to her young daughter, Proxima unites titles of mother and astronaut. Both roles are synonymous with venturing into the unknown.

While pregnant astronauts are prohibited to fly in space, many individuals who have had children have ventured beyond Earth’s orbit. Anna Fisher was the first person who travelled to space as a mother, launching and returning space shuttle Discovery in 1984. Other women have come before Sarah Loreau (Eva Green) in Proxima, as mothers and astronauts and yet no amount of preparation can ever fully equip someone for leaving the Earth or raising a human. Both are intrepid adventures tackled differently with no set instruction manual.

Exploring uncharted territory is what intrinsically connects the journey of motherhood and astronautical exploration. Climaxing with daunting prospects of childbirth and liftoff; two moments of immense pressure, hopefully then followed by a miraculous celebration of human life and achievement.

Both these feats of human engineering, one within the body creating a new life and the other a triumph of technological power, act as efforts in the preservation of humanity. The miracle of life is celebrated as a child is born and as a space shuttle takes off, both motherhood and the role of an astronaut ask for a dedication from the body that is ultimately for the progression of humankind.

To venture beyond Earth is to put your life in the hands of others and hope they’ve made the right calculations, in the same way a child innately relies on their caregiver to survive. Sarah’s gravity is the love of her daughter that repeatedly attempts to anchor her to Earth and pull her back into her child’s orbit. Choosing between mother and astronaut is not an option for these roles are not interchangeable, they are one and the same.

Parents often remark on how their worldview has changed since having a child, similarly to how astronauts’ view of the world is forever changed when they see Earth from a distance. Both eventualities result in an experience of shifting perspectives on morality, humanity and reliance.

This blurring of mother and astronaut is also seen in Proxima visually. Astronaut training requires Sarah to undergo tests and simulations to prove her readiness for space travel. In doing so, her body is put under intense strain as her willpower to withstand inhuman experiences is assessed. In replicating zero gravity, the astronauts have to perform tasks underwater with restricted movement; the moment replicates a womb-like experience of floating in darkness, disorientated. In the process of experiencing outer-space, Sarah finds herself returning to a place innately human: the womb.

Other reincarnations of replicating outer-space show Sarah connected to the space shuttle via a tether that appears like an umbilical cord. These visuals further the thematic links of dependency and connection that tie into the comparison between space exploration and motherhood. With a vehement determination, Sarah embarks on a journey of emotionally testing motherhood and an astronomical adventure in a way that is innately caring, doing everything she can to be close to her daughter while the space between them grows.

Perhaps the most adventurous trip in the experience of being human, comparable to leaving Earth for space, is the journey of raising another life.

The post Why Proxima is a giant leap for motherhood on screen appeared first on Little White Lies.