Odyssey

Utilizing spectacular archival footage, Odyssey chronicles the incredible development of NASA’s Apollo program in the 1960s as part of the space race. Focusing on astronaut and pilot Jim Lovell, this documentary relates his personal experience with space flight as a framework to understand the effort and sacrifice required for the Apollo missions. Although NASA faced many setbacks, they eventually facilitated the Apollo 11 mission which brought the first humans to walk on the moon. This mission was followed by Apollo 13, where equipment failure forced the crew to abort their original mission. This film follows NASA as they improvise a strategy to guide the astronauts safely back to Earth, all while the whole world watches. Employing masterful editing of rare photographs and clips, director Avi Belkin highlights these astonishing feats of human achievement that brought together support from people across the world. Odyssey also contrasts NASA’s pursuit of space travel with the public’s waning support in the face of other geopolitical issues, such as the Vietnam War. Concentrating on Jim Lovell and his family brings a sense of grounded humanity to this story of human innovation and scientific discovery.—Cara Cusumano