Deep Dive into the Movie 'Project Hail Mary'—How a Coward Becomes Brave
⚠️ This article is for those who have already watched the movie 'Project Hail Mary'. It touches on the core and the final scene. If you haven't seen it yet, please check out the introductory article first.
Thank you to everyone who read the previous article and went to see the movie.
How was it? Did you cry? (I sobbed.)
Even after the movie ended, my 'watching' didn't stop.
Even when I got home, even when I was in the bath, I couldn't sleep—
I kept thinking about those two.
And I realized something.
What this movie was really depicting wasn't a story about space, or a story about friendship with an alien.
I think it was 'a story about how a cowardly person becomes brave'.
That is what I believe it was.
Table of Contents
Grace wasn't 'brave' from the start
Realizing his true self at rock bottom
And, the ultimate decision
What this movie taught me
I want the lessons from this movie to reach people like this
Grace wasn't 'brave' from the start
Grace didn't go to space of his own volition. When Stratt asked him to join the space crew, he refused. His words at that time were,
'I'm scared. I'm afraid of dying.'
Not exactly like a brave protagonist! But that's what's good about it.
He is, after all, a teacher. Someone who tells children that 'science is fun.' He wasn't someone who wanted to be a hero to save the world. That's precisely why his fear felt so real.
And even in space, Grace's 'fear' doesn't disappear.
Actually, while still on Earth, Grace says this to Captain Yao.
"If it were me, I would choose not to go in the first place. I don't have the 'courage gene' that everyone else has."
To that, Captain Yao replied:
"It's not a gene. You just need to find 'someone' for whom you can be brave."
I realized after finishing the movie that these words were foreshadowing for the entire story.
I believe that for Grace, that 'someone' was Rocky.
Discovering his true self at rock bottom
In the final stages of the story, Grace recovers a shocking memory.
The fact that he was a 'selfish coward' who refused the mission and was forcibly put on the ship after being drugged by Stratt.
His self-image, which he believed to be that of a 'self-volunteering scientist,' crumbles with a loud crash.
It is in that state of rock bottom that he faces the farewell scene with Rocky.
There, Rocky tells Grace this:
"You are brave."
Rocky, who did not know Grace on Earth, only saw the version of him who never lost his curiosity in the face of unknown situations and overcame life-threatening missions. Regardless of his past, Grace was certainly brave in space.
I believe those words from Rocky saved Grace.
And, the ultimate decision
Grace sets off, aiming to return to Earth. The mission is complete. All that's left is to go home—that's when he notices something wrong.
The 'Taumoeba,' the microorganism the two improved to save Earth and Erid, had evolved in an unexpected way that allowed it to invade Rocky's ship. If left as is, Rocky would be stranded in space and die within a few days.
Moreover, Grace realized this fact right after recovering the memory that he was a coward.
If he returns to Earth, he will be celebrated. His duty is done. But—.
He turns the ship around.
It was the moment when a man who once said he was 'afraid to die' chose, of his own free will, to risk his life for Rocky.
He, who had been a 'selfish coward,' acted for someone else of his own volition for the first time. Grace wasn't brave from the start; he was someone who 'became' brave. I quietly shed tears at that transformation.
What this movie taught me
What this movie taught me is that courage is not a talent.
Grace felt 'afraid' until the very end. But even so, he moved forward. Because there was 'someone' he wanted to protect.
Captain Yao said this:
'It's not about genetics. You just need to find 'someone' for whom you can summon the courage.'
These words really sink in after you finish watching the movie.
You don't have to blame yourself for feeling 'afraid.' You don't have to give up by saying you 'lack courage.' You just need to find 'someone' for whose sake you can do your best.
And one more thing. Grace could never have made it this far on his own.
Grace is a scientist, and Rocky is an engineer. Their strengths, ways of thinking, and even their body temperatures are different. But because they complemented each other's shortcomings, they were able to save two worlds.
'There are places people cannot reach alone.'
Just as Rocky was that 'someone' for Grace, there is surely such a person for you as well. This movie quietly taught me that, using the vast stage of space.
I want the lessons of this movie to reach people like this:
Those who cannot take a step forward due to fear or anxiety
Those who tend to blame their own weaknesses
Those who want to think about the meaning of 'living for someone else'
You aren't brave because you don't know fear.
You are brave because you know your weaknesses, and yet you still move forward.
That is what I thought while watching it.
“Oh, it’s okay for me to keep moving forward, even while I’m still weak.”
And in my heart, I whispered this to the screen:
“Grace, Rocky, let’s meet again.”
Finally, let me ask you one thing.
Is there someone in your life, like Grace and Rocky, for whom you could be brave?
My Rocky is my family. They are the people I never want to abandon, no matter what happens, regardless of any personal gain or loss. Watching this movie made me realize that all over again.
Please, tell me about your own “Rocky.” I’ll be waiting in the comments section.
※This link is provided using the Amazon Associates Program🎬️
Also, I am featuring articles about Project Hail Mary in my magazine. If you are interested in the differences from the original novel, the insert songs, or the music, please check that out as well.
In this note, I don’t just “watch and finish” a movie; I relate it to my own life and put it into words.
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