Product Description

From the creator and director of Cirque du Soleils hit show K (Robert Lepage) comes this visually dazzling, playfully surreal and wryly comedic look at the human quest for meaning. Reminiscent of a French-Canadian Woody Allen, Lepage himself stars in the dual roles of Phillippe and Andre, brothers from Quebec at odds after the loss of their mother. Featuring a fantastic score and breathtaking special effects, Far Side of the Moon is a whimsical and irreverently hilarious look at the effects of gravity on the human soul.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53021 in DVD
• Brand: TLA RELEASING
• Released on: 2006-04-04
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, Russian
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 6.65 pounds
• Running time: 106 minutes

Amazon.com
A quiet film by French-Canadian Robert Lepage (creator of Cirque du Soleil's hit "Ka" production), Far Side of the Moon is a thoughtful look at a middle-aged man who is lonely, underemployed, and respected by no one--not even his twin brother. Lepage plays the dual roles of outcast Phillippe, a fortysomething telemarketer trying to earn his doctorate, and Andre, a selfish and lazy weatherman. When their mother dies, Phillippe is heartbroken. Andre is more pragmatic--she was sick, it was her time to go. Some of the film's best moments are of a somber Phillippe having a conversation with his unseen brother. When he calls Andre to ask if he'll take care of their mom's goldfish, the viewer can extrapolate exactly what Andre said by Phillippe's comment: "You're allergic when you eat fish, not when you feed it." Spoken in French, the film's most poignant and dynamic vignettes aren't of Phillippe's recollections of his mother, but his moments alone videotaping all the things that mean the most to him, which he hopes will be archived for any extraterrestrials who may be curious about earth. The film moves at a slow pace that belies its running time of 106 minutes. But it's a charming film, with a surreal ending that befits a dreamer like Phillippe. --Jae-Ha Kim

Customer Reviews

A creative marriage of art and philosophy.
This movie is a gem. Almost flawless, you can feel that every detail has been tended to. From a great arm's length (the universe), it asks what we're meant to be doing on this ball that goes round and round. The cinematography constantly surprises, like stills in a photgraphic exhibit, and the score compliments beautifully. In the end, LePage concludes, all we have is art and poetry and love; these transcend the things that threaten to make us crazy.

Masterpiece!
Let me first clarify that I am not francophone or the kind of person who watches artistic movies. Yet, this movie totally absorbed me and took me to a tremendous emotional and visual trip.

I do not want to say much about this simple looking and yet intrically woven movie involving space travel, personal alienation, family love, dejection, and alien messages and yet full of humanity.

I am speechless.

Funny dream strory
A movie is a funny story of a grown-up loser reaching the stars while in a boring job on the Earth.

Perhaps, depicting a realistic role the USSR played in star exploration does not add stars from English-speaking viewers.