A cerebral space drama and Adam Sandler – not exactly a ‘peanut butter and jelly’ kind of combination at first glance. Now throw in a giant extraterrestrial spider voiced by Paul Dano and you have “Spaceman”, a movie that on paper defies description. It’s directed by Johan Renck, best known for his work on the award-winning mini-series “Chernobyl”. His involvement adds another curious piece to the enigma that is “Spaceman” while also adding to the film’s allure.

It should be said, “Spaceman” is not a Happy Madison production and that’s a good sign. Written for the screen by Colby Day, the film is based on the 2017 novel “Spaceman of Bohemia” by Jaroslav Kalfař. Sandler fans who haven’t tapped into his more thoughtful work might be surprised by his ability to pull off such a somber and restrained meditation. But “Spaceman” is a welcomed reminder of how good he can be whenever he ventures outside of his exhausting comfort zone.

Emotionally layered, necessarily slow, yet ever absorbing – “Spaceman” is the kind of movie that is sure to provoke a fascinating array of responses. For me, I have a real soft spot for these kinds of movies. When they’re done well it’s easy for me to get lost in them. Such is the case with this rich exploration of the human condition set against the backdrop of the daunting vastness of space. It’s something that’s been done before and Renck’s inspirations are impossible to miss. But that doesn’t take away from what he accomplishes.

Sandler plays Jakub Procházka, an astronaut on a Czech space mission to study an ominous yet beautiful purple-hued particle cloud in deep space that’s large enough to be seen in the Earth’s sky. 500 million kilometers from home and on the outskirts of Jupiter, Jakub is entering his 189th day in space – the halfway mark of his journey (I’m not sure the math adds up but oh well…).

Back on Earth, Jakub’s mission is tightly guarded by the head of Mission Control, Commissioner Tuma (Isabella Rossellini). She keeps a firm and calculated grip on information. In doing so she has captured the public’s interest by commercializing Jakub and turning his mission reports into must-see television. At the same time, she closely monitors and screens information given to Jakub, withholding anything that she and her team feels may jeopardize his fitness to complete his mission.

But what Mission Control doesn’t realize is that by keeping certain information from him they’re actually contributing to his downward mental spiral. In addition to being lonely and overcome by feelings of isolation, Jakub desperately misses his wife, Lenka (played by the always terrific Carey Mulligan, an actress who can make reading a cereal box compelling). But this yearning of his is driven mostly by deep feelings of guilt and regret, even if he’s not ready to admit it.

Jakub tries to keep his worsening mental state hidden from his Mission Control handler Peter (Kunal Nayyar). There’s even a sense of denial as Jakub struggles to convince himself that he’s fine. But he’s forced to come face to face with his distress after he discovers an uninvited visitor aboard his ship. Elegantly voiced by Dano and in the form of a giant brown spider, the extraterrestrial reveals itself to be an explorer who has been studying human behavior.

Through their interactions we begin to see deeper into the reluctant Jakub’s psyche. The more the alien arachnid probes the more we see what has driven him to such a fragile place. Most of what we see centers around his marriage to Lenka. Mulligan is an aching hypnotic presence seen mostly as a silhouette pulled by the alien from Jakub’s memories. We see the two fall in love and soon after learn that Lenka’s pregnant. But Jakub’s obsession with his mission drives a wedge between them. And his eagerness to leave her alone to have their baby feeds a growing frustration that leads Lenka to question their entire relationship.

It’s never said for sure when the movie takes place, but there are features that seem firmly grounded in the past and others that feel near-future. Similar ambiguity is found in the characters as well, more specifically in the choice to have the cast use their natural accents. It’s a decision that fits nicely within the film’s enigmatic framework. Equally effective is the claustrophobic yet immersive cinematography from Jakob Ihre and Jan Houllevigue’s rigorously detailed production design.

“Spaceman” can best be described as a psychoanalytical character study set as much in the depths of one man’s soul as it is the vastness of space. Director Johan Renck pulls from a variety of films such as Tarkovsky’s “Solaris” and Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”. He even throws in a dash of Malick and a smidgen of Spielberg. But even with its deeper musings, there is a simplicity at the film’s core that considers a number of potent themes including the meaning of love, neglect, and the need for human connection. Altogether it makes for an unexpectedly moving experience that some will have a hard time connecting with. Me…what can I say, I was captivated. “Spaceman” premieres March 1st on Netflix.

VERDICT – 4 STARS