The Astronaut (2025)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
An astronaut stranded on Earth must confront the reality of her identity as she believes an extraterrestrial entity has followed her home.
The story
After her shuttle is hit by debris, NASA astronaut Sam Walker crash-lands on Earth. Following a rescue by the Coast Guard, she is hospitalized and placed in quarantine while being questioned by doctors in hazmat suits. Her father, a U.S. Army General, informs her that the Pentagon is taking over the investigation. Sam is moved to an isolated rural cottage for her protection, where she begins to experience hallucinations of shadow figures and physical changes. As she struggles with her condition and the mystery of the crash, she must navigate the growing tension between her personal life and the government's secretive oversight.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Sam Walker, a NASA astronaut, is quarantined in a rural cottage after a crash-landing. While her family visits, she discovers she has telekinetic powers and is being monitored by the government. She eventually reveals to her husband, Mark, that her mission was to transmit a message to extraterrestrial life, which she believes caused a creature to follow her to Earth. During a swarm of insects attacks the property, Sam's physical condition worsens. She eventually flees into the woods and is confronted by three creatures who reveal they are her true family. It is revealed that Sam is actually an alien who was separated from her kin years ago and forced to live under a human guise. As her human form fails, she embraces her true identity and departs Earth on a spaceship, leaving her human family and the pursuing government behind.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 91
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jess Varley
- Writers
- Jess Varley · writer
- Cast and characters
- Kate Mara · Sam Walker; Laurence Fishburne · General William Harris; Gabriel Luna · Mark; Scarlett Holmes · Izzy; Ivana Miličević · Dr. Michelle Aiden; Macy Gray · Val
- Genres
- science fiction; horror
- Themes
- identity; alienation; government conspiracy
- Tone and mood
- tense; eerie
- Setting
- A rural cottage and the surrounding woods on Earth.
- Premise and plot tags
- extraterrestrial life; space exploration; survival
- Content notes
- horror
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 40 · scale: 100 · review count: 8
- Production trivia
- The film marks the solo feature writing and directing debut of Jess Varley.; Laurence Fishburne and Emma Roberts were cast in early 2023.; Kate Mara replaced Emma Roberts in the cast in September 2023.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…