Parker, having just gone through a mental health crisis, heads to the desert with his older brother, Zack, who assures his little brother that psychedelic mushrooms are the only way to make him feel sane again.

Director’s Vision for ‘The Astronaut’

“The Astronaut” was born out of a personal battle with anxiety. Last year, everywhere I went, I carried a single Xanax in an Altoids container. It provided me a sense of reassurance that if my anxiety ever reached an unbearable apex, I had the pill in my pocket as a last case “break glass in case of emergency” kind of scenario. I realized making a film about this all could be therapeutic. And so I went out to the desert of Joshua Tree with a skeleton crew of 4, 2 actors, and yes, a single Xanax in an Altoids case. The film you watch is one of personal catharsis and an act of letting go.