Proxima

And Prison Riots

Welcome to MOTHERS WEEK at From The Yard To The Arthouse. This week is for good mothers, bad mothers, and in some cases, the baddest mothers around. What is going to be emphasized in these movies is the struggle of being a mother, the challenges and the obstacles. What interests me is that you see a lot of movies about these problems, women trying to be mothers, women trying to preserve a family, trying to “have it all.” In many movies about fathers, they don’t have to make the same choices, it all tends to simply fall into place by act three. The structure in place for men is simply assumed. A weak man would suggest that movies aren’t being realistic about the struggles that fathers face. I would argue, in this case, that movies are being plenty honest in regards to this specific gender divide. It’s hard out here for a mom.

Alice Winocour’s “Proxima” is a bit of an extreme example because the question is if a woman can be a single mother and an astronaut. Eva Green’s Sarah is a late addition to a promising international mission, one that’s meant to be a precursor to a trip to Mars. “Proxima” lays it’s cards out early on, with a very cool sequences of Sarah testing out expensive and exciting astronaut equipment. After trying on a bunch of expensive gizmos, she immediately goes home to complete the thankless task of bathing her young daughter.

“Proxima” settles into something of a procedural, where Sarah has to manage different aspects of the trip. She has to negotiate with her ex (Lars Eidinger) about helping watch little Stella while Sarah is in the stars. She’s got to train extensively across multiple countries, overseen by a supervisor (oh God, it’s Sandra Huller, don’t trust her with space missions!). And, obviously, Stella is a little sweetheart of a child, but this process can’t overlook her education and development. Sarah seems just as concerned about her deep sea mission as she is about Stella making friends at a new school. Also, there’s a little kitty, Laika. Cats probably get a raw deal when their owners head off to space. Nobody ever talks about this.

These are expected issues for someone in Sarah’s position. But she also has to deal with the captain of the mission, an American blowhard named Mike, played by Matt Dillon. Dillon’s an Oscar-nominated actor, but I’ve always known him as a bit of a ham. Here, he’s a repellent everyday sexist, the kind of misogynist who would never imagine he has a blind spot in regards to gender politics. When he introduces Sarah to his wife, it’s his excuse to walk away, because he clearly thinks two fellow astronauts won’t have as much in common as two women. This movie came out in 2019, but it’s almost as if he’s mouthing “DEI” every time they interact. Sarah knows he doesn’t have to prove her capabilities to him. But she sort of does, because they’re going to need to trust each other given that they’re going into, you know, outer space.

I dislike the term “Competence Porn” because of how it fetishizes a baseline ability to take care of your responsibilities. But there is a cinematic thrill watching the best of the best go about their daily routine. “Proxima” spends a lot of time watching astronauts train, developing skill and camaraderie. These are professionals with their own sets of skills – it’s especially interesting given that this is an international mission, and everyone speaks multiple languages. And we can put aside our cinephile eyes and acknowledge that “Astronaut” is maybe the coolest profession. “Proxima” takes great pains to contrast the care and affection a mother has for her daughter. But it doesn’t at all skimp on the gnarly astronaut training details, the suits, the exams, the mishaps and setback, the preparation for the greatest adventure you can have. Unfortunately, you have to have it with Matt Dillion, but we all make sacrifices.

I found this fascinating story from GQ, a solid longread for anyone who wants to bookmark it. This is about a prison riot in the 1970’s, in the wake of a guard strike. This piece is filled with so many rich details, surely everyone would have a favorite part. What I found notable was that this was an era where mass incarceration wasn’t “settled”--it was still a controversial topic, with many people actively against the process. These stances used to be given regular wiggle room in our national conversation. Today, when you actually talk about decarceration with the average person, they look at you like a crazy person. Like they’re asking, “What do we do with the bad guys?” America’s relationship towards punitive power has gotten a little warmer. Granted, many of those outspoken against prison would be swayed by the more hospitable nature of institutions today compared to the early 70’s, but that ideological shift misses the point regarding the corruptive nature of said institutions.

I was never in the middle of any sort of prison riot. Largely, this was because I tended to avoid any heat, I kept my head down and tried to affect change in various, less dangerous ways. If you had a gorgeous face like mine, you’d understand. I was in low security institutions, where most guys were trying to maintain their best behavior, to get to a minimum security camp. In places like those, you’re dealing with shorter sentences for the most part. You have to remember in those higher-security institutions, when you have men with long sentences and very few connections on the outside, what’s to lose? Clock an officer, add a couple of years to your sentence, what does it matter? Men and women in those positions, there’s no tomorrow in their eyes, and so they’re more likely to put everything on the line to fight for their rights, fight for their fellow inmate, or sometimes just fight. It creates a pretty dangerous environment for c.o.’s when you have men who feel like they have nothing to live for. You’d think it would be in their best interest to give these men something to live for. But whatever, I sound like I’m ready to riot with these radical suggestions.