Writer and director Jess Varley adds to Mara’s own experience with the real-world research she did into the space oddities and “anti-gravity” dreams real astronauts have experienced after returning home.

“I looked at real symptoms that astronauts have,” Varley tells us. “Sam crash lands in the beginning of the movie, so I felt like there was some license we could take with bruising, spreading on her body, while trying to keep everything as grounded as possible… I wanted her condition to feel organic, like it was unfolding before our eyes in a real way, so that it never felt prosthetic-heavy or overly-stylized. I tried to keep it as grounded as possible.”

That said, Varley did draw inspiration from other films, namely one about women undergoing a crisis of identity, and the men in their life doubting them every step of the way.

“I love Black Swan,” she says of the 2010 Darren Aronofsky movie. “That actually was a bit of an inspiration for The Astronaut. We have this unreliable narrator, and some other elements that may be a little spoilery, so I won’t say. But it’s fun creating these red-herring moments where we’re not sure if we can trust [Sam].”

Lest it sound like The Astronaut is another movie about people mistrusting a woman, Varley adds, “She’s not sure if she can trust herself and it helps us to sort of enjoy the ride, but also leaves enough room for us to hopefully be shocked at where the movie ultimately goes.”

Producer Brad Fuller notes that sense of a thrill ride as one of the main appeals to a genre film like The Astronaut. “People go to the movie theaters to have a shared experience,” he explains. “And genre movies really offer an incredible opportunity for everyone in the movie theater to scream.”