L'oeil de l'astronome

Very instructive film. I knew little about Kepler before sitting down at this screening, and now I know much more! Who knew that spending 10 nights looking into a telescope could be so exciting!

Still, the film feels too much like a play. On screen, the actors come in and out around Kepler as they would on a stage. The director, before the projection, warned us that he tried to avoid resorting to the usual tricks of storytelling in film with this project. No love interest, no jokes, no drama other than the drama of scientific exploration!

In that respect I suppose he achieved his goal, but as public we feel a bit shortchanged.

The movie descries ten nights in which Kepler studies the skies, while having temporarily access to a telescope sent by Galileo. Kepler is interpreted by Denis Lavant, whom I know from "Holy motors", a very good actor, who said "For me, a role isn't just a face and a voice, and the great actor that I admire are those who use their body to give a shape to their character". "L'oeil de l'astronome" (also as "Stargazer") has at times an aura of fantasy, enhanced by the nocturnal explorations. Fortunately, it spare us of the Hollywood cliches of love interests and drama. Though there is at times more subtle dramatic tension and feminine play. It is also a family movie-one local child enters Kepler's lab