October sky

NASA engineer Homer J. Hickman, Jr’s autobiography provided the basis for this drama about a teenager coming of age at the dawn of the space race. In 1957, Homer Hickman (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a high school student in Coalwood, West Virginia, where coal mining is the only career path open to young people in the town. When news of the launch of the Soviet spaceship Sputnik breaks, most of the townsfolk react with fear or disgust, not Homer who is instantly fascinated and becomes obsessed with jet and rocket design. With the help of his three friends and teacher (Laura Dern), Homer sets out to build his own rocket. Despite his father’s (Chris Cooper) disapproval, a limited education and a series of misfires that threaten to flatten his dreams and the town, Homer overcomes the odds to realise his dreams. This is a story that mixes the drama of traditional family conflicts with a nostalgic glimpse of life in mid-50s America, as well as providing a look at the earliest days of our journey into space. Based on the book “Rocket boys” by Homer J. Hickman, Jr.