Earth to Michael

Throughout Nico’s childhood, his father moved between home and outer space. Michael López-Alegría, a Spanish-American astronaut, spent months at a time away on missions, while Nico stayed home with his mother. When Nico was six, his parents’ marriage fell apart during one of his father’s missions. Michael returned to Earth, but not home, leaving his son with many unanswered questions. Fifteen years later, as Michael prepares for another mission, Nico decides it is time to ask those questions. Together with co-director ZZ, he turns the camera on his parents, revisiting the family’s past and revealing the differences between them over relationships, sexuality, the climate crisis and the lives they want to lead. Blending home movies with archival footage from space, the filmmakers create a moving documentary about parents and children, and our attempts to understand the choices that shaped our childhood. The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival.