Plot Summary
Adam Sandler stars in this Netflix movie as Jakub, a cosmonaut on a deep space mission to Jupiter to investigate a mysterious interstellar cloud known as the Chopra Cloud.
Jakub is travelling alone, with occasional contact with the folks at Mission Control. For a time, he was also able to communicate with his wife Lenka (Carey Mulligan) but as their marriage is a troubled one, she decided to cut off contact with him.
However, Jakub isn’t as alone as he thinks he is. During his journey through space, he discovers a giant spider has taken up residence in his spacecraft. He is initially frightened by the arachnid but as he gets to know the 8-legged creature, who he names Hanuš, he eventually starts to bond with it.
Jakub’s mind is fractured because of his lack of sleep, his loneliness, and troubled memories of his past. So, could the spider be a figment of his imagination, a means to keep himself sane? Or is the spider real? Let’s take a closer look at the movie.
What happened between Jakub and Lenka?
Many people run away to escape from their problems but very few journey into the depths of space to flee the things that are troubling them!
It’s suggested that Jakub took the space mission to avoid dealing with the issues in his marriage but when Lenka sends a message to him (which Mission Control intercepts) to tell him their marriage is over, it’s clear he has made a huge mistake.
Their relationship has been marred by Jakub’s childhood traumas that reared their head in his adult life. These affected his actions within the relationship which eventually grew cold.
But while Jakub decided to get distance from the relationship, he is reminded of the love he has for his wife when he meets a giant extraterrestrial spider.
Where did the spider come from?
Quite how the spider got into Jakub’s spacecraft, we don’t know! But when Jakub and the spider (whom Jakub names Hanuš) have a conversation, the alien arachnid tells him its home was invaded by the Gorompeds. Hanuš then left his planet and travelled to Earth’s solar system, where he became intrigued by the “skinny human” travelling towards Jupiter.
During the journey to Jupiter, Hanuš seems to form a telepathic link with Jakub. He causes the cosmonaut to reflect on his marriage and childhood through mental images of the past. This makes Jakub question his decision to leave home and over time, he realises his mistake.
What happens to Hanuš?
Towards the end of the movie, as Jakub approaches the Chopra Cloud, it appears that Hanuš’s health is failing, a consequence of his encounter with the Gorompeds. He leaves the ship, much to Jakub’s dismay as he can’t bear to say goodbye to his alien companion.
Jakub leaves his spacecraft and follows Hanuš out into space and the two of them journey into the cloud. Hanus tells him the cloud contains “every vibration of all time,” including Jakub’s memories.
While in the cloud, Jakub’s entire life flashes before him. This causes him to reflect on his marriage and his part in the failed relationship. It also reminds him of his love for his wife who he now regrets leaving.
Following this experience, Hanuš dies. Jakub is then alone again but it’s not long before he is picked up by a group of South Korean astronauts.
Was the spider real?
It’s unlikely the spider was real. It’s more likely a manifestation of the guilt Jakub felt about leaving his wife. As tiredness took hold of him, he probably hallucinated the creature and had conversations with himself about his past. Eventually, he was able to gain perspective on his marriage and his childhood, and the mistakes he had made in his relationships.
The spider’s death was probably representative of Jakub letting go of his guilt. Now free of his regrets and aware of his actions, he had the incentive to try again with Lenska, which we see when he makes contact with her from the Korean spacecraft.
Of course, if you would rather the spider was real, your interpretation might be just as valid.
In an interview with Radio Times, this is what Johan Renck, the movie’s director had to say:
“It’s all in the eye of the beholder… I’ve shown this film to friends, some people think that Hanuš is real, some people think that Hanuš is a figment of Jakub’s imagination and his inner monologue, you know, so to speak.
“My production designer I worked with for 20 years doesn’t believe anything happened. He believes that Jakub is sitting at home in his apartment in Prague being depressed after his wife has left him and this is all going on in his mind.
“It’s like, yeah, whatever floats your boat, man, there is no truth to these matters. It’s like reading a book, listening to a song, or reading a poem, whatever. It’s like, it’s what… your own experiences will guide how you take in the film, basically.”
What are your thoughts on the movie? Was Hanus real? Was Jakub sitting alone in an apartment dwelling on his life? Or did he mentally unravel while in space? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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Hey Fred, thanks for your comment. Brilliant quote from Harry Potter too. Thanks for checking out the article.
Lee
Of course, when thinking about it, the very first time we see the arachnoïd creature, it is when he is looking in the mirror and it’s trying to get out of his head by the eye, the nose and then the mouth. It could be then sufficient to say it was a figment of his imagination. But since when do figments act as psychiatrists? Then the little purple light beings from the cloud who enter the ship can move through solid. Who’s to say Hanus is not made of the same stuff? He seems to float quit easily and graciously in space.
Also, as Dumbeldor says in a Harry Poter movie: “Of course it’s all in your head Harry, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”