To the Moon (2020)

Directed by: Tadhg O’Sullivan | 76 minutes | documentary

The moon: at once of great self-evidence and unceasingly enigmatic. Origin of ebb and flow. Source of superstitions, werewolf stories and other fairy tales. But also, viewed very soberly, a form of light. Although it lacks the intensity of the sun, it is undeniably a way to add extra atmosphere to an image. The difference between a rising moon and a celestial body that shows itself in its full glory above the landscape gives completely different light accents. The contrast between full and new moon, with the waxing intermediate forms, is also evident. Film essay ‘To the Moon’ shows, on the basis of existing film fragments, how the different moon shapes influence the image and can therefore also steer the overall narrative.

Those fragments, the film’s form is reminiscent of the work of Mark Cousins, are of the same variety as the moon itself. Varying in color and colorlessness, from the past and from now and from all over the world. In the rare moments when dialogue is heard, it is often of a poetic nature. It produces an equally poetic array of images that focuses on the graceful diversity of the moon. However diverse, some common denominators appear on the surface.

The film begins with a rising moon. As he begins his journey to the vault of heaven, his glow turns the landscape into a gleaming blanket. The low-contrast light is reflected on mountains and lakes. It is a frequently recurring romantic image, accompanied by scenes that accentuate love and a sense of anticipation. But, because the moon here also casts long shadows over the landscape, a subcutaneous feeling of tension is created at the same time.

A feeling that manifests itself more and more with each coming of age of the moon, both in the form of the moon rising on the horizon and the form growing more and more towards its full form. As a source of light reflection, the moon is getting brighter, its effect on humans moving in parallel. Contrasts get bigger and harder. Love turns into lust. The madness strikes. Emotions come to a boil.

This is the crux of the film. The moon is not only a beautiful cinematic style element, but also evokes emotions in a decisive way. Both with characters and with the viewer. ‘To the Moon’ has the most effect by not actively naming those emotions, but by going along with the hypnotic film poetry. After all, emotions have to be felt. As a cinematic essay, ‘To the Moon’ stays with the essence of film itself in a powerful way.