Camilla Aminzadeh

Simplistic in design, yet executed incredibly well. Project Hail Mary is a very heartwarming story, that may seem like another generic space film, but its premise surrounding connection and finding yourself makes it intristically beautiful.

A film that has made itself controversial amongst the views of many disabled people, which begs the question; is it okay to end your life due to a disability? I want to disclaim that I am not disabled, which obviously reveals an ignorance as I have never experienced what a disabled person may experience. However, I find the controversies around the film black and white. The main controversy being: 'William ending his life perpetuates the idea that being disabled is inherently bad and the only way out is through suicide'. With that I argue, yes, many disabled people can live happy lives despite their disability and despite their supposed obstacles. With the right support and mindset, of course they can. Despite that fact, many people cannot. It is the unfortunate nuance that we must face. Some people will not be happy. You cannot force them to be happy, you cannot force them to accept what has happened to them. Another complex idea people cannot understand is that their thinking is very black and white. We should be able to watch media that has uncomfortable themes and have the media literacy to understand that although it is not right and very upsetting, we can still have the empathy to see it from William's point of view. I hate the idea that because he is rich, he should push through. He was still in so much pain? Of course, being in an upper class household makes your life MUCH easier, that is a given. You have the resources available to you, but does that mean he has to be happy? No. Do I believe that people should push through despite challenges? Yes, of course. Just because William did not push through, does not mean it says that others shouldn't either. People have a choice, and the whole story demonstrates that ultimately you can never change someone's mind. It is up to the person themselves to change their own narrative. The romance itself is quite idealised in all honestly, and I don't really appreciate the idea of trying to 'fix' someone. However, I viewed this film and viewed it more from the eyes of William than anyone else. Instead of immediately seeing someone who chooses a path that does not align with ours, we need to understand that not everyone has the same way of thinking, that we are ultimately individual in our thought processes and we should view this story as what it is: a story of a man navigating his disability, not one perpetuating ableist ideals. I would love other people's opinions on this!