OCTOBER SKY

 

FOUR STARS - Inspiring

October Sky (1999) List Price: $14.98 Our Price: $13.99 You Save: $0.99 (7%)

 

 

       The dignity with which people live their lives, often rising to heroic levels, is caught on film in Joe Johnston’s “October Sky.”  Recreating the true life story of NASA engineer Homer Hickam’s journey from the dusty coal mining town of his youth to the heights of space, Johnston gives us an inspiring tale which lifts us as well.

       The journey begins in the 1950’s in the small company-owned coal mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia.  Homer (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a high school student whose life is lived not only in the shadow of the mine, but also  in the shadows of his father’s authority as the mine’s foreman and his brother’s success as the school’s football star.

       Feeling trapped by the limited options before him, Homer is struggling to find his way.  Not wanting to live his father’s life as a miner and unable to play football and get a college scholarship like his brother, Homer is faltering.  But then his answer literally comes from the sky.

       It is October, 1957 and the Soviets begin the space race by putting the first tiny satellite into space.  Standing, gazing into the stars and watching Sputnik stream across the night sky, Homer decides he wants to build rockets.

       This is as unlikely a decision as could be imagined, so rich in symbolism that it would be an ingenious fiction, and yet it is true:   The son of a father who has given his life to going beneath the earth, gives his own life to soaring above the earth.  The symbol of breaking free is obvious.

       One of the strengths of the film is the authentic presentation of Homer’s father, John (Chris Cooper).  Loving his life as a miner, John desires Homer to follow in his path.  Unwilling to do so, Homer’s relationship with his father becomes conflicted and tense.  Not being able to imagine his son actually becoming a rocket scientist, John does not support his dream.  But, though unsupportive, it is clear that he loves his son.

       This is often the experience of fathers and sons.  Fathers, in their desire to help their sons find their way, often cannot see any other path than the one they chose.  And so, out of love, they fight against their son’s own dreams for their lives.

       The encouragement for Homer’s dream comes from his science teacher, Miss Riley (Laura Dern).  She believes he can do it.  Along with her belief in him is a need to believe that her own life as a teacher is making a difference in the student’s lives.  She wants her life to help them to break free from the limitations of their small town and the control of the mining company by empowering them to go to college.

       When Miss Riley explains to Homer that he could win the national science fair and receive a scholarship, he enlists the help of four friends in building his rockets.  They are a good combination.

       Quentin (Chris Owen) is an even poorer outcast of their already poor and secluded community.  An intelligent boy whose way of coping with his poverty and social exclusion is to study, Quentin is the brains of their operation and is nourished by their new friendship.

       O’Dell (Chad Lindberg) is a handsome young man whose father died in a brutal mining accident and is now abused by his drunken step-father.  Roy Lee (William Lee Scott) is a hardworking and likable friend whose good-natured attitude brings hope to their seemingly hopeless dreams.

       Again, a fiction writer could not bring together a more unlikely foursome, yet it is easy to see how each brought a unique ability which contributed to their success.

       At first, the difficulty of getting a rocket to fly seems insurmountable.   Not only does Homer’s father require them to get off company land, which requires an 8 mile walk to do so, but the science required is too advanced for them.

       But it is just this difficulty which makes their success all the more transforming.  Through their many setbacks, eventually the entire town begins to offer their own skills and expertise to help “the rocket boys” succeed.

       The message of “October Sky” is best expressed near the end of the film, when Homer asks his father to come and see the last rocket launch.  John, feeling rejected by his son, initially declines to do so.  But when Homer pleads that he has not rejected him but sees him as his hero, John finally is touched by his own son’s love.

       Lives lived in supportive love can lift us to the heavens.  Such heroic lives might not be as heralded as are these, but lives lived in the supportive care of family, friendship and community, guarding both the dignity and the dreams of each, are worthy of our emulation.

 

799 Words

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