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Review

With an opening sequence showing the moon, the side facing the earth described as a mirror, the far-side as pock-marked and cratered, we get a perfect analogy to the whole of Robert Lepage’s Far Side of the Moon. Writing, adapting, directing and starring as the two brothers, Philippe and Andre, Lepage delivers a tour-de-force of fluid visual beauty in a tale full of whimsical anecdote. Philippe, a telemarketer by day and aspiring doctor of philosophy in scientific culture is a sad, but witty observer of life. His brother Andre, a successful TV weatherman, is brash and more superficial. Philippe’s main thesis argument is that man is basically a narcissist as objectified by his need to explore outer space. Lepage is spot-on in his portrayal of a quintessential narcissist, gliding through scenes that morph from present time to his youth years. Philippe spends his spare time videotaping his apartment, commenting on life for a contest sponsored by S.E.T.I. (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). Combining seamless green screen effects with an earnest narrative about the influence of his mother, Lepage’s cinematic tapestry springs to life. By the film’s end, we come to see ourselves in the reflections beamed to us by his almost magical manipulations of the medium.

 -- Max Brinck