In Spaceman (2024), Jakub is on a solo mission in outer space when an extraordinary encounter gives him a new perspective on his life. The film is streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary:
Jakub Procházka is on a solo mission to investigate the gaseous cloud phenomenon called the Chopra cloud which lies just beyond Jupiter.
He is regularly in touch with mission control and Peter, his primary point of contact. The journey is backed by the Czech government as well as corporate sponsors.
As he nears the cloud, his ship experiences multiple minor malfunctions. Several cameras are down and the toilet rattles loudly from time to time, interrupting Jakub’s sleep.
Jakub’s wife, Lenka, is pregnant with their child but she is deeply affected by the distance caused by his expedition.
She leaves a message breaking up with him, but mission control decides to withhold it from Jakub for his mental well-being.
One day, Jakub sees a giant spider on the ship that talks to him. He believes he is losing his mind and hallucinating, but when the spider persists, he tries to get rid of it.
With the cameras down, no one else can confirm its presence, so Jakub decides to decontaminate the ship.
It does no good as the spider emerges, claiming that they were not affected by the gas. They tell Jakub that they’re the last of their species that has traversed vast distances.
They were drawn in by humans so they decided to study their culture and history. When it saw Jakub’s ship, it decided to travel along and study Jakub’s loneliness.
Jakub slowly warms to the creature and names it Hanuš after a scientist on Earth. Hanuš can peer into Jakub’s mind and feel his memories.
He sees his memories of Lenka and asks him questions about his relationship. Jakub and Lenka’s union began with much passion, but he has pulled away over the years.
Hanuš makes Jakub realize that he has not appreciated his wife’s company or made the effort to get to know her the way he should.
Back on Earth, mission control hopes to convince Lenka to delay leaving her husband for the sake of the mission, but she is focused on her well-being.
Hanuš also tells Jakub more about the Chopra Cloud and its nature. He says that it is the beginning and the end of time.
As they go deeper into Jakub’s memories, Hanuš learns more about Jakub as a person, even asking him questions about his father.
Lenka goes to a commune where single, pregnant women stay together and take care of each other.
She still has some feelings for Jakub but feels that the separation between them is just too much to work on.
After a particle from Chopra enters the ship, it shows Jakub an old conversation between him and Lenka where he isn’t very active.
Hanuš says that he is not interested in Jakub anymore because their loneliness is self-inflicted. Even after finding out what he has, Jakub is still focused on Chopra.
He tells Jakub that he’s going to leave since he has nothing more to learn but Jakub begs him to stay.
Ending explained:
Purging his emotions
Left to his own devices, Jakub has a lot of time to contemplate everything that Hanuš told him.
He contacts Peter and asks him to visit Lenka so that he can give her a message. Peter asks Lenka to just listen as he connects a call to Jakub.
Jakub apologizes for all the things he did wrong and tells her that if he ever got the chance to do it again, he would do it better.
He would pay more attention to her and be there for her like he should have been all along.
Into the beginning
Hanuš reemerges before Jakub, having been impressed by the latter’s confession to Lenka. However, he is near death’s door and reveals that he wasn’t completely forthcoming.
The species that decimated his people also infected him before he left his planet, and it won’t be long before he succumbs to it.
He tells Jakub that he does not wish to face the beginning alone, and the two of them remain by each other’s side as the ship approaches the cloud.
Jakub begins the sample-collecting process, but the infection overcomes Hanuš and he drifts out into space.
The sample collection is a failure and Jakub is asked to abort, but the cosmonaut decides to head out to save his extraterrestrial friend.
Everything all at once
Jakub tries to save Hanuš by spraying him with the decontaminant, but it only slightly delays the problem.
In the process, he is knocked away from his ship and accepts that this might be the end. Hanuš takes him to the center of the cloud, which consists all of time.
Jakub is in awe of what he sees and is grateful for the time he got to spend with Hanuš. The spider tells Jakub that his story does not end here as another ship approaches in the distance.
It is the South Korean expedition that aimed to beat Jakub to the cloud but arrived in time to save him.
He watches as Hanuš is consumed by the infection and becomes nothingness. He is then on board the ship, where he contacts Lenka and asks her for one more chance.
She is happy to hear from him, and ready to give him that chance.
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