The US film The Astronaut is Hollywood’s message of peace for Easter 2026. Technically, in terms of acting, and in its content, it is brilliant—and immensely important.
The Astronaut is not an astronaut. I am not an astronaut – astronot! The ’not‘ in astronaut, teacher Ryland Grace explains emphatically to Commander Eva Stratt. In the original version, this film is even better because it preserves the wordplay. In the dubbed version, that gets lost—yet the film is still highly recommended.
Project Hail Mary. German title: Der Astronaut. USA 2026. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Based on the book Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Starring Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller and others. 156 minutes.
Amid the cult of personality surrounding the actors Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller, something of the film’s true focus may get lost: overcoming (cultural) boundaries. That is why I will point out here what Project Hail Mary is really about.
The film Project Hail Mary – The Astronaut tells the story of two chosen individuals in space, sent there by their respective societies to save their planets. Up there, they encounter each other unexpectedly and face the question: How do I respond to someone who, at first glance, is so radically different from me?
‚Hail Mary‘ means figuratively ‚last attempt.’* For me, the film carries this message: People of this planet, open your heart to your neighbor and close your ears to the warmongers! Above all, see what unites us, and do not be afraid of what sets us apart! You have this last chance.
In the film, the human Dr. Ryland Grace and the alien Rocky share the same mission, though they do not realize it at first. Rocky is a spider-like being made of rock from the planet Erid. They come from different galaxies, look completely different, and communicate in different ways. When they choose to see what they have in common rather than what divides them, they save themselves—and their fellow humans and Eridians.
Their stars are threatened by the same enemy: the Astrophages. In one attack by these star-destroyers, Dr. Grace gets injured. When he can no longer press the button connecting him to the vital oxygen supply, Rocky risks his life. He leaves his life-sustaining gelatinous pressure chamber to reach the control panel and press the button.
Not through wars, but through cooperation; not through division, but only through what we share—this is how we preserve ourselves and our planet(s).
At another moment, Dr. Grace is on his way back to Earth. But he realizes that Rocky, who is on his way back to Erid, will die. Only he, Dr. Grace, can prevent that. Should he use the remaining fuel in his spacecraft to return to Earth—or to fly to his friend Rocky’s ship? He has enough fuel for only one journey.
Perhaps approaching one another is easier in space. In the void, we see more clearly that something universal connects us. Up there, far from home, when the last two face each other—Rocky, the rock-like being, and Dr. Grace, the human—the question fills the universe: conflict or cooperation? How do I respond to the alien? Though for Rocky, it is the human Dr. Grace who is the alien.
That is the message: Whether American or Russian, Iranian or Israeli—we can always become friends if we pursue a common goal. If we place what unites us above what divides us. For this goal, we can use our universal language.
Recently, I visited the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Every day, thousands from all over the world stream into its sacred halls and admire the enduring message of this structure—rebuilt after the catastrophic Notre-Dame fire of April 2019.
People in the church also speak the thousand languages of the world at Easter 2026. At first they speak quietly, then louder and louder, until the murmur swells. At a certain noise level, an automatic loudspeaker announcement comes on: “’Shhhhhheeeeeeeeeee.‘
Only after this long sound comes the sentence: ‚Silence, s’il vous plaît! Silence please! Silencio por favor!’—’Be quiet‘ spoken in three languages by three different voices. But this verbal part would not have been necessary. The ‚Shhhhhheeeeeeeeeee‘ alone immediately reduced the noise level. Everyone in the church associates it with the request to be quiet.
This reminded me of the universal language beyond vocabulary. Whether it is ‚Shhhhhheeeeeeeeeee‘ or a finger placed before the lips, or many other wordless gestures that is understood without words. ‚Shhhhhheeeeeeeeeee‘ in a church, mosque, synagogue, or any other sacred place is enough to tell everyone: be quiet—respect what is sacred to others!
Many leaders, however, emphasize only what divides peoples. They are demagogues who explain what separates us. They claim that the enemies are those from the different culture. Yet what divides us is far less in quantity. If we focus only on that, we all lose. Wars and conflicts follow that never end. It is a trap we do not have to fall into.
The greatest enemies of our freedom often come from within. By contrast, the best friends are sometimes those we have newly gained from other cultures—just like Rocky and Dr. Grace in the movie. At first, they see what divides them—it is so obvious—but at the same time, they seek what they have in common. The universal language helps them in this: shared gestures and shared values beyond the cultural divide.
Applied to today’s situation on Earth, this means: If we seek out and strengthen what is universal—and thus what we have in common as human beings rather than what divides us —peace emerges. Then we agree on common goals and negotiate necessary compromises. This will bring us all more prosperity than the anger of individual leaders will. The film shows how this can be done. A masterpiece at the right time.
* Hail Mary pass, Hail Mary shot: (in sports) a last throw or long-distance shot in a final attempt to win the game.