Released on September 15th, 2023, “A Million Miles Away” tells the true story of an immigrant child, José Hernández, who was raised as a farmworker and boldly decided to take a trip to space.
While the movie certainly relays the important contributions of technology and the improvements in space travel, it also touches on the story of a migrant farmworker becoming a hero. As a child working in the field of California, José had a dream to become an astronaut. Though countless people stood in his way, reminding him of the ever-present societal prejudices against immigrants, Hernández refused to let these societal expectations limit him. Thanks to the help of an encouraging teacher, José made it into college and gained his engineering degree. Facing eleven rejections from NASA, José never gave up. Finally accepted on the 12th interview, Hernández reported that it was “about time.” Hernández’s journey to Space Shuttle mission STS-128 was filled with obstacles, but he never let these get in the way of his dreams.
I found the movie extremely touching. It effectively opened my eyes to the struggles of immigrant children in the United States, and it helped me to gain cultural awareness. In the movie, when Hernández was mistaken for a janitor, I became aware of the biases and stigmatization that are still so prevalent in our society today. For anyone who wishes to increase their cultural awareness while also witnessing a heartwarming journey, this movie is highly recommended.
Just finished watching the movie “A Million Miles Away” and it was beyond inspirational!
Remember:
#1: Find Your Goal
#2: Know How Far Away You Are
#3: Draw a Road Map
#4: In You Don’t Know How, Learn
#5: When You Think You’ve Made It, You Probably Have to Work Harder pic.twitter.com/ehyoVnbMiQ— Vasileios Karvelis (@vasileioskarvls) September 17, 2023
Additionally, this movie is an inspiration to children around the country who feel shunned or stigmatized, whether for their race, ethnicity, or family background because they will certainly feel motivated by the story of José Hernández.
The movie has certainly found success ranking as Amazon Prime’s #1 movie in the U.S. Furthermore, Rotton Tomatoes reports the movie as “one inspirational bioptic that avoids heavy-handed gimmicks,” – and I could not agree more.
