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 The 55-year-old actor takes audiences to the far reaches of the
solar system in his role as Roy McBride after a new threat
causing disastrous power surges threatens Earth.
McBride sets off to find his pioneering astronaut father, played
by Tommy Lee Jones, who went missing more than a decade earlier
while on a mission to Neptune.
Set in the near future when mankind has set up living stations
and research centres on the moon and Mars, the film follows
McBride as he makes his way into the vast abyss through
spectacular landscapes and empty space.
The trip soon becomes a journey of self-discovery.
"This has been the most challenging film I have ever worked on,"
Pitt, also a producer of the movie, told a news conference at
the Venice Film Festival, where "Ad Astra" premiered on
Thursday.
"The story ... is so delicate and any clip of a frame too early
or music cue or voiceover could easily tip the thing over or be
too much or be too obvious. It was a constant effort just to try
to maintain this balance and try to keep this story unfolding in
a very subtle and delicate way."
In an interview with Reuters, Pitt called the film "a very
intimate ... journey of the soul," which at the same time mulls
the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
"I like to believe there is (life) somewhere. To what degree,
more advanced than us, less? Who knows ... Would we find that in
our lifetime, don't know. Not too concerned," he said of his own
beliefs.
McBride narrates his history and relationship with his father
throughout the odyssey, where he faces challenges as well as
enemies in an inhospitable and lonely environment.
"We decided to try and tell the smallest possible story in the
biggest possible tapestry ... The tiny becomes the universal,"
director James Gray said.
"Ad Astra" is one of 21 movies competing for the top Golden Lion
prize at the festival, which runs until Sept. 7.
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DISCOMFORT
Venice is no stranger to screening space movies, having previously
premiered the Oscar-winning "Gravity," starring Pitt's frequent
co-star and friend George Clooney, as well as "First Man," about the
1969 moon landing.
Asked if he had exchanged any space movie tips with Clooney, Pitt
referenced the process of hanging from wires during such shoots,
saying: "George and I exchanged some discomfort stories."
"Ad Astra," which also stars Liv Tyler, Ruth Negga and Donald
Sutherland, is considered one of the must-sees during the festival,
an important launch pad for the awards season.
Asked whether the role could perhaps win him his first best actor
Oscar, Pitt said: "Man, I just want to get this film out ... it's a
challenging film, it's subtle.
"It's operating on many cylinders, it has something to say about who
we are, a soul if you believe in that, what’s our purpose, why do we
hang on, keep doing. So I am really curious to see how it lands."
Critics praised the film's stunning cinematography but some lamented
the long voiceovers and plotline.
"Despite a dip in pace towards the end, it’s also a fantastically
well-staged adventure," Empire said, calling the movie "beautiful."
Screen Daily said Pitt's performance was "full of pained melancholy"
while Variety said the story was "held together by Pitt's stalwart
presence."
"Ad Astra" hits movie theatres worldwide next month.
(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian in Venice; Additional reporting
by Hanna Rantala in Venice; Editing by Gareth Jones and Matthew
Lewis)
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