Lucy in the Sky is a 2019 American drama film co-written and directed by Noah Hawley in his feature directorial debut. It is loosely based on astronaut Lisa Nowak's criminal activities and her romantic involvement with fellow astronaut William Oefelein.
Astronaut Lucy Cola (Natalie Portman) returns to Earth after a lengthy space mission where she begins an affair with fellow astronaut Mark Goodwin (Jon Hamm). Due to her experience far from home, Lucy heads into a downward spiral as she loses connection to her family, and when her lover begins another affair with an astronaut trainee, the bottom drops out.
The film also stars Zazie Beetz as Erin Eccles and Dan Stevens as Drew Cola. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2019 and was released on October 4, 2019.
Lucy in the Sky provides examples of the following tropes:
- Appeal to Familial Wisdom: Lucy is very close with her Nana and respects her judgement perhaps more than anyone else's. During her interview in the second scene of the film, she refers twice to advice her Nana would have given her as a means of deflecting personal questions.
- Aspect Ratio Switch: The movie's aspect ratio frequently changes between 4:3 and 16:9, depending Lucy's emotional state.
- The Charmer: Hard to tell but Mark is probably slightly more this than the Casanova.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Lucy transforming from dissatisfied wife looking for adventure into this leads to her downfall.
- Epunymous Title: The title means both literally the main character (Lucy) going "in the sky", and refers to the famous song by The Beatles, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".
- Shout-Out: The title is obviously based on "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", one of the most famous songs by the Beatles, from the milestone album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
- So Proud of You: Word for word what Lucy's husband Drew says to her.
- Symbolic Serene Submersion:
- Played with. During Lucy's astronaut training, she is completing an underwater repair module when her suit ruptures and, because she is upside-down, her helmet begins to fill with water. She insists on finishing the job, simply holding her breath. When she is pulled out, the camera focuses on her completely serene expression, and later her boss comments while reviewing the footage that her heart rate never went above a hundred. This scene demonstrates her extreme self-control and commitment to the space program.
- The montage that plays near the end of the film while Lucy is delivering her monologue about the effect of being in space and seeing "the whole universe" includes a quick shot of her floating in water, eyes closed and arms outstretched, with stars superimposed over the image as though she were basking in the universe itself like she says she has.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story: The story is inspired by an actual astronaut love triangle and and the real-life drama that it caused.
