FAR SIDE OF THE MOON -- Robert Lepage, dir

©2003
studio: Tla
production company: FCL Films, Media Principia Inc.
dir: Robert Lapage
cast: Robert Lapage, Anne-Marie Cadieux, Marco Poulin, Céline Bonnier, Lorraine Côté, Richard Fréchette, Gregory Hlady, Érika Gagnon, Sophie Faucher
screeplay: Robert Lapage
Foreign Language film; subtitled


After the death of his mother, a man tries to discover a meaning to his life, to the universe and to rebuild a relationship with the only family he has left: his brother. [from IMDb]

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Visually and technically, this was really a wonderful film. Fun to watch. The effects were great and often came at surprising moments. The acting was quite good, though subtle. Lepage himself did a remarkable job in both roles.

What will keep this film in relative obscurity is the script. Perhaps too subtle? Or perhaps it's that we don't have any reason to care about anyone in the film, and then it becomes a film to watch for the effects and direction, rather than for story.

Why do I want to watch a film about a 40 year old man struggling to find his life, to make something of himself? And when he has his big chance and blows it because he forgets to change the time on his watch after travelling to a new country, I have no sympathy or compassion for him. Instead I think that he deserves every lousy thing that's ever happened.

A superb looking film in search of a better story.