A NASA Astronaut Loses Touch with Reality in ‘Lucy in the Sky’

"Lucy in the Sky" is a NASA-themed movie from writer/director Noah Hawley and stars Natalie Portman as Lucy Cola, an astronaut whose perspective is permanently altered by her visit to outer space. The movie is out December 17 on Digital HD.

Hawley has been on an incredible hot streak for the last few years. He created and runs the Emmy-winning series "Fargo" for FX, and somehow used the Coen Brothers' Oscar-winning movie as inspiration for an equally good TV show that features none of the same characters, locations or even time periods.

Hawley also made three seasons of "Legion" for FX. By far the weirdest property inspired by the Marvel universe, the show highlights a hallucinatory, almost psychedelic vibe as it explores the shifting mind of a mutant called David Haller.

He also authored the bestselling "Before the Fall," which won an Edgar Award for best mystery novel and in development as a movie. And he's slated to write and direct the upcoming Star Trek movie starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto.

"Lucy in the Sky" seems to be inspired by the store of real NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak, the one who drove 900 miles (allegedly in adult diapers so she didn't have to stop to pee) to attack her ex's new girlfriend.

The movie aims to offer a sympathetic portrait of a person unhinged by their encounter with the cosmos. How can earth seem the same after you've experienced the seeming infinity of outer space?

To show that sense of alienation, Hawley and cinematographer Polly Morgan experimented with shifting aspect ratios, as they explain in the clip embedded below.

"Lucy in the Sky" also stars Jon Hamm ("Richard Jewell"), Zazie Beetz ("Joker"), Dan Stevens ("Legion") and Ellyn Burstyn ("House of Cards").