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Feb 23, 2016 By Zach Hollwedel Web Exclusive

Astronaut Gene Cernan is the last human being to have set foot on the moon. Just before he departed the lunar surface 44 years ago, the Apollo 17 member drew his daughter’s initials in the moon dust. The gesture was an ode not only to his personal accomplishments and career successes, but to the family he had left behind on Earth, both literally and emotionally in his all-encompassing quest to become a NASA astronaut.

Mark Craig’s documentary about the titular astronaut is an honest examination of the man behind the spacewalks and cosmic accomplishments. Now in his 80s and grounded on Earth for over four decades, Cernan (though perpetually active) has ample time to reflect on his past. One of the most poignant moments of Craig’s film is Cernan’s (and other colleagues’) assertion that his involvement in NASA wreaked havoc on his home life. Family had to come a distant second for much of his career if he wanted to succeed; so, it did. His marriage and relationship with his daughter both suffered for his career.

The Last Man on the Moon is much less a documentary about the wonders of space exploration, than it is a portrait of the men who undertook the journeys. Cernan and his colleagues were perhaps atypical Americans in that they had fighter pilot backgrounds and scientific degrees and covert training exercises. But, they were still every day men who lived the American dream of homes and families and careers. Their professional lives demanded an imbalance with their personal, and that’s what Craig explores in his documentary. Cernan is an introspective, outspoken protagonist, one with some of the most fascinating stories in mankind’s history. Yet, Craig spends as much—if not more—time on Earth with Cernan than he does in space with him. As someone who has never and likely never will leave this planet, it’s hard not to want a heightened sense of that wonder, to crave a first-hand description of floating weightless while surrounded by stars and an unobstructed view of planet Earth. At the same time, Craig’s focus on the Earthly makes sense. The Last Man on the Moon is about the man, not the moon, and it’s an intriguing, unique addition to the library of space exploration.

thelastmanonthemoon.com

Author rating: 6/10