Felicity Jones Plays First Woman to Reach the Sky in ‘The Aeronauts’

On Tuesday, Hers had the opportunity to go to an exclusive screening of Amazon Prime Video’s “The Aeronauts.” In the film, Felicity Jones plays Amelia Rennes, the first woman to reach the highest point in the sky in a hot air balloon.

The film is about the story of The Aeronauts, Amelia Renness and James Glacier, who studied the flight of hot air balloons. Their goal is to reach the highest point they can, to break the world record and do research on weather patterns.

Jones delivered a great performance throughout, as she highlighted the various obstacles women face in the scientific community during the time period. Jones, as Amelia, faced criticism from the women in her life, as well as the men in her community for being a single woman with an interest in work. However, she dismisses all their opinions to pursue her true happiness, being airborne.

While this movie is very much a period piece and is a little cheesy, it really delves into the idea that women can be as elemental to changing the world as men are. Based on true events, The Aeronauts paved the way for further study in meteorology and flight, and it started with a woman and her experience.

In the final scene, James Glacier stands in room of his peers and notes that this achievement could not have been at all possible without Amelia’s help. While it is apparent that the man involved is saying this in a room full of men, it is clear that for the time period, this was a huge step for women in the workplace.