He added that he wanted the movie to reflect the opinions of the man he was portraying, and he gleaned from interviews with friends and family that he did bathe himself in a specifically patriotic light.
Armstrong’s sons, Mark and Rick Armstrong, have supported the choice, noting that they have seen the film multiple times while most haven’t seen it at all, and added that the work is “quite the opposite” of “anti-American.”
As for why First Man doesn’t include the scene of Neil Armstrong planting the flag, Ryan Gosling explained it by saying that the act of landing on the moon wasn’t so much an American achievement so much as it was an achievement for all mankind.