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Robert Lepage, Anne-Marie Cadieux, Marco Poulin, Céline Bonnier

A man pondering the unrecognized aspects of space travel has more than a few problems to contend with on Earth in this French Canadian drama. Phillippe (Robert Lepage) is "professional student" who li... read more read more...ves with his ailing mother (Anne-Marie Cadieux) in a small, run-down apartment in Quebec. Phillippe has spent years working on his doctoral thesis, which looks at the philosophical and emotional consequences of the race into space between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 1960s and '70s. Phillippe just barely supports himself as a telemarketer, his cold-calling has put him in touch with a former girlfriend who isn't especially happy to hear from him, and an attempt to discuss his research with a former Russian cosmonaut has near-disastrous results. Phillippe also has to put up with his younger brother André (also played by Lepage), a television weather announcer who has money, a small degree of fame, a handsome boyfriend, and almost no respect for Phillippe. As his mother's health takes a severe turn for the worst, Phillippe's luck seems to have changed at last when he's invited to Russia to discuss his recently published thesis on the space program, but André is not willing to help look after their mother. Far Side of the Moon (aka La Face Cachée de la Lune) was written, directed, and edited by leading man Lepage, who adapted the script from his own stage play. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

81% liked it

10,510 ratings

Critics

79% liked it

19 critics

R, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Robert Lepage

Release Date: December 2, 2005

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DVD Release Date: April 4, 2006

Stats: 122 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (122)

  • flixsterman
    November 13, 2010
    flixsterman
    A creative concoction of science, social dysfunction and human persistence. Robert Lepage is simply incredible!
  • gator681
    February 10, 2007
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]With "Far Side of the Moon", writer-director Robert Lepage uses the story of brothers Phillippe and Andre(both played by Lepage) as a springboard to also explore the history of space flight(Phillippe is writing his thesis on this while working as a telemarket... read moreer). Then, he uses parallels between the two storylines as a jumping off point for a stylish portrait of humanity's potential. [/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]The history of space flight provides an especially strong example. Space exploration started with huge potential with the Sputnik launch. Its high point is of course the landing of a man on the moon in 1969, followed by the Apollo-Soyuz mission of 1975, uniting two former adversaries but recently failures have outweighed achievements. Now, emphasis is on the potential for contacting extraterrestrials, a project that Phillippe has volunteered to help with. [/font]
  • liquidstone14
    December 4, 2008
    liquidstone14
    Nope, I haven't seen the original stage play. This is the second Lepage film I have seen in my life, and I believe the themes that are explored are very similar to the ones in Le Confessional : except in that other film, broken family dynamics were explored with much more swing, ... read moreand the result was frankly a lot more compelling.

    Visually, this is clever and enticing work, as Lepage uses recurring imagery (the moon, a goldfish, television screens, washing machines) as Phillippe revisits his past and present. Special effects are both subtle and astonishing, and the camera gets up close to capture hidden recesses of emotion within the characters. Filmed with a small budget, La Face Cachée de la Lune still manages to dazzle. And yet... it's a bit annoying that the film doesn't grab hold more effectively, because artistically it is a real achievement. Lepage constructs films fluidly, dissolving between scenes in almost imperceptible ways that are clever and extremely skillful while touching on deep themes.

    As an actor, Lepage is fine enough, but he can only command our attention onscreen for so long, so I found myself holding on to supporting performers for any narrative interest. Needless to say, he is at the very center of the project, so characters besides Philippe and Andre are not given a lot of screentime. I understand the brothers occupy the core of the drama, but I personally found them uninteresting, and their dialogue sometimes feels forced.

    I wanted to fall in love with this one as it obtained even more international recognition than Le Confessional, but alas, I was not swept away at all. I appreciated it, but... that's about it.
  • catlyst
    December 24, 2011
    catlyst
    fresh sardonic quebecois tale about the space race, maternal attachments and growing up.
    i was in stitches for much of the show ;) the sibling brawls are hilarious and credible

View All Far Side of the Moon Reviews

Critic Reviews

Walter V. Addiego
February 10, 2006
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle

The film may be best appreciated by those who've seen the stage version. Full Review

Michael Phillips
January 5, 2006
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Lepage is such an interesting camera subject, you stick with this dreamy rumination even when the going gets arch. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
December 2, 2005
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

The Far Side of the Moon is a master class on turning a talky, one-man play into a visual delight.

Elizabeth Weitzman
December 2, 2005
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

As an actor, Lepage is a captivating presence, easily transforming from one sibling to the other. And as a director, he braids the personal and the universal with dexterity, turning theatrical intimac... Full Review

Manohla Dargis
December 1, 2005
Manohla Dargis, New York Times

It takes about 28 days for the moon to orbit the earth and approximately 60 minutes for Far Side of the Moon to reveal its full splendor.

Mark Peranson
November 29, 2005
Mark Peranson, Village Voice

Reworking his own raw material, Lepage spins a rich, moving film that acknowledges humanity's power to break out of Earth's daily gravity; in the process, he leaves audiences floating. Full Review

Steven Rea
April 14, 2005
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Far Side of the Moon imbues the weightiest issues of human existence with a zero-gravity grace and charm.

Eddie Cockrell
November 8, 2004
Eddie Cockrell, Variety

Lepage brings a prodigious talent for startling, interwoven imagery to bear on a story already laden with metaphorical possibilities. Full Review

Michael Rechtshaffen
November 6, 2004
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter

An achingly eloquent rumination on our place in the universe.

Peter Howell
May 23, 2004
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Lepage's films are always reflections of a curious mind, which constantly puzzles at the absurdity of a life where science, politics and the arts compete for attention with the mundane existence of da... Full Review

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