A Million Miles Away is a 2023 American biographical drama film detailing the life of José M. Hernández, a Mexican-American astronaut, who is played by Michael Peña.

[1] In the late 1960s and 70s, José is a young boy whose family travels from Michoacán as migrant workers picking grapes in California, his parents hoping to buy a house back home after they’ve made enough money.

After his father is only paid partial wages for his work, he realizes José’s teacher was right to be concerned and the family decides to stay in California full time.

After several rejections, José hand delivers his 12th application in person to Frederick Sturckow who trains incoming astronauts and is a veteran of the Space Shuttle program.

As he enters quarantine in preparation for the mission, Adela visits him with a surprise: his former teacher Ms. Young, who tells him she’s been waiting for this moment for over 30 years, having followed his progress and career, always believing in his enormous potential.

After main engine cutoff, José looks around at the shuttle cabin and imagines seeing the same monarch butterfly that landed on his dad’s arm the day their family decided to stay in California, hinting that he had achieved his destiny.

The website's critics consensus reads: "Thanks in part to a pair of appealing lead performances, A Million Miles Away is one inspirational biopic that mostly avoids heavy-handed gimmicks.