Uplifting Moon is Out of This World

David Sington’s new documentary In the Shadow of the Moon is a cinematic gift seemingly sent from the heavens above. A look at NASA’s Apollo program and at the 12 men who walked upon the surface of the Moon, the film is a look at the advancements we can make as human beings when we decide to put our minds to it. It is a wonderfully picturesque mosaic of a time when the stars became not so out of reach and the euphoria of a man leaping for joy upon a distant celestial body was cause for universal celebration.

Astronaut Mike Collins in THINKfilms' In the Shadow of the Moon

Using vintage NASA footage, most of it never seen by the general public, and interweaving interviews with ten of the astronauts including Jim Lovell (Apollo 8 and 13), Mike Collins (Apollo 11), Alan Bean (Apollo 12) and Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11), the film is an introspective headfirst dive into the universe. The picture rouses the senses and engages the mind all the while strumming the heartstrings like they were a concert violin.

There is a huge almost stodgy PBS vibe to all of this of course, and some of the constant rah-rah-rah and go-go-go mentalities of a few of the astronauts can sometimes get rather annoying, but overall Sington manages to keep defects to a minimum. He allows the outer space flyboys to tell their own story in their own words, the footage collected by NASA at the time augmenting their collective tale to spectacular effect.

For me, surprisingly it wasn’t the glimpses of our planet from space or the sights of the Apollo rockets lifting up into the heavens that blew my mind. Instead, scenes taking place inside Mission Control, laboriously restored by Sington and his filmmaking team, are the ones that truly took my breath, the rat-a-tat-tat cadences of what it takes to get a man into orbit absolutely fascinating. Not even the best playwright in the world could construct dialogue as mesmerizing and as lyrical as this, these scenes in the film every bit as powerful and inspiring as the ones of a giddy Neil Armstrong taking that first step upon the moon.

As I watched In the Shadow of the Moon a huge part of me couldn’t help but feel like many in my generation (and those that have come after us) truly missed out. Not because we went to the moon. Not because we looked to the stars and discovered them to be attainable. Missed out because, even with the turmoil of the Vietnam War the American people were able to come together as one like never before, something in our current time of chaos and brutality doesn’t just seem difficult but maybe even impossible. 

Hopefully I am wrong and new dawns of togetherness will envelope, not just the United States, but the rest of the world as well. While that seems unfortunately doubtful, what isn’t up for discussion is just how good this made me feel while exiting the theater. This isn’t just a documentary, it’s an aria of hope and togetherness stretching from this world and into the stratosphere beyond. It’s a cliché, but I guess you could even say the darn thing is out of this world making In the Shadow of the Moon the feel-good sensation of 2007.

Film Rating:  êêê  (out of 4)

Additional Links:

-  Interview with director Davind Sington
-  In the Shadow of the Moon Theatrical Trailer