The Arasbaran Cultural Center in Tehran will host a screening and review session of the upcoming American science fiction film “Project Hail Mary” on Wednesday evening. Film critic Kourosh Jahed is scheduled to attend the event, which aims to explore the film’s themes and narrative.

“Project Hail Mary,” directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, is adapted from Andy Weir’s 2021 novel of the same name. The 2026 film stars Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, and Lionel Boyce. It centers on Ryland Grace, a former molecular biologist and middle school teacher, who awakens aboard the interstellar spacecraft Hail Mary with amnesia. Grace soon learns he is the lone survivor of a mission to the Tau Ceti system, nearly twelve light-years from Earth, aimed at saving humanity from a catastrophic threat.

Scientists have identified an infrared phenomenon called the “Petrova line,” caused by a solar-eating organism known as “astrophage.” This parasite is gradually dimming the Sun, which will trigger a global ice age within thirty years and threaten human civilization. Grace was coerced into the mission by Eva Stratt, a determined leader who viewed him as uniquely qualified to succeed. The Hail Mary spacecraft was built with only enough fuel for a one-way trip, necessitating the transmission of any solution back to Earth via automated probes.

While orbiting Tau Ceti, Grace encounters an alien vessel carrying Rocky—a five-legged, rock-like being from the planet Erid. Despite their vastly different biology—Rocky communicates through musical tones and perceives the environment via echolocation—the two form a close alliance. Working together, they identify a microbial predator on a nearby planet, dubbed “Adrian” by Grace, which feeds on astrophage.

The partnership faces serious challenges, including a mechanical failure that leaves Grace unconscious and Rocky injured. During recovery, Grace uncovers that he was drugged and forcibly sent on the mission by Stratt, contradicting earlier assumptions that he had volunteered.

As the mission reaches its climax, Grace realizes that the taumoeba predator they discovered threatens Rocky’s fuel supply and would strand him in space if his vessel continues its course. In a selfless act, Grace chooses to abandon plans to return to Earth and instead rescues Rocky, ensuring survival for the Eridian species. He transmits his research and samples of taumoeba back to Earth, offering humanity a potential cure.

The film concludes with Earth benefitting from Grace’s discoveries, while Grace himself finds a new home on Erid, living in a specially designed biodome. His sacrifice marks him as a pivotal figure in the survival of two worlds.