Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary is a lone astronaut survival film, typically associated with heroic masculine self-sufficiency, yet it showcases one of the most beautiful male friendships in any film we have scored. (Although Rocky’s gender is unknown, we scored the film as if Rocky were male, though this could be argued otherwise.) Grace expresses wonder, anxiety, loneliness, fear, gratitude, and profound joy with complete transparency throughout the film, and Rocky’s emotional expression is on a similar level. Grace grapples with his inadequacies and fears, yet ultimately embodies relational courage (‘finding someone to be brave for’) as an alternative to traditional masculine heroism. He is not distressed about being seen as weak, he sees collaboration as the solution to every problem, and he regulates himself with calm reasoning under extreme pressure. The film’s entire second half is Grace and Rocky caring for each other with competence, self-sacrifice, and deep compassion.