Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: TO THE MOON [Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival 2021 - Virtual]

The aspect of documentary, at times, is to discuss. With "To The Moon" [National Premiere] playing in the opening day of the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival it takes on a different form using different forms of old media, newly filmed geography and a sense of wonder to tell the story of the moon. This has nothing to do with astronomy but simply the effect it has on people, lives and nature from here on the ground. It is an interesting take because it reflects more as a tone poem than as a film, which is quite refreshing but not groundbreaking. The different themes it speaks on reflect in its footage being shown. The one that begins it is romance, using poetry but also footage from old movies from around the world including a particularly powerful one it seems from Japan. The doc also proceeds to, later in in a different section, examine the superstition around the moon, as a predicator of both control and its result of fear because of what is not understood. Before the advent of the space race or the understanding of what the moon actually was, the impact was reflected in the idea of tides which is a midde ground of understanding. While the film never quite verbalizes this importance, it does it through audio readings and prose which describe through thought and song how people of all times see the moon. The film is also shot in a 16mm, square ratio which also reflects more in a portal than a cinematic quality. But what that last reflection speaks to is time and how long the moon has been around but also its history and the marks that prove it. In doing so, what director Tadhg O'Sullivan does often highlight is the offer the moon, both literally and metaphorically, as a reflection both of Earth and of ourselves. B

By Tim Wassberg