“A Million Miles Away” Tells the Story of First Migrant Farmworker to Go to Space
Released to Prime Video just under a week ago, “A Million Miles Away” begins with a young José Hernández lying in a field in California looking up into the sky, and it ends with him aboard a NASA rocket launching into space. In between, the film traces Hernández’s life and the unrelenting pursuit of his dream of becoming an astronaut.
The movie is based on José Hernández’s autobiography “Reaching For the Stars: The Inspiring Story of a Migrant Farmworker Turned Astronaut,” and he worked in close collaboration with the film’s production, ensuring the authentic and accurate portrayal of his life story. José was actually the one who chose to cast Michael Peña to play him in the film.
“A Million Miles Away” starts off by showing Hernández as a young boy, helping his parents with work in the fields on the weekends, while excelling in school and dreaming of traveling to space after witnessing the 1969 moon landing. Soon after, José graduates college and finds employment as a lab engineer, secretly still holding onto his goal of becoming an astronaut. From here the film tracks his life through the years; he starts a family and suffers personal tragedies, but remains determined to fulfill his dream.
The structure of “A Million Miles Away” hinges on the advice José receives from his father as a boy: five ingredients to the recipe for success. José keeps these ingredients in mind throughout his life, and they frame the arc of the movie’s narrative, dividing it into five parts.
At its core, this is a movie about unwavering ambition in the face of adversity and it demonstrates the significance of values like hardwork and perseverance. José applied to become an astronaut for 12 years before being selected, never losing sight of his dream and remaining persistent in his dedication to achieving his goal.
“A Million Miles Away” also emphasizes the importance of acknowledging one’s roots, and the significance of José’s Mexican identity. He shrugs off subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) racism in his mostly white work environment, and ultimately finds a way to draw strength from his heritage, and from the knowledge of his parents’ sacrifices.
Nowadays, José spends his time doing motivational speaking and running an aerospace consulting firm that he co-founded, along with helping his father with the vineyard that they own and operate. José achieved his dream of becoming an astronaut, despite the numerous challenges he faced, and his legacy continues to inspire kids of a new generation who may be aiming for the stars, thanks to “A Million Miles Away.”
Feel free to leave a comment if you’ve seen “A Million Miles Away,” now streaming on Prime Video, or if you have any facts you’d like to share about José Hernández and his accomplishments.
