Focus on Infinity

Whether this is a documentary is debatable. It doesn't set out to explore or prove a specific point. I would rather call it an ambient film: it immerses us into a world that exists hidden from the general public, allows us to get a feel for the world of physics research at our own pace and leisure. We get to see beautifully filmed landscapes, giant telescopes and cold underground sites, often as static images or deliberately slow pans and long cuts. Accompanied by sounds from the environment, like buzzing lamps, or sparsely decorated by an eerie ambient soundscape. From time to time, someone tells us about their views on cosmology, religion, philosophy, or the human condition. Their views are widely varied - as much as these people are bound by the subject of physics, so far apart is their interpretation of it. There is no conclusion to be made from these interviews, and that, in my opinion, is the greatest accomplishment of this film. If you can handle not being led to conclusions, love photography and ambient music, then I think this is a great watch. If you want a documentary that explains the current state of the research, there are plenty of other fish in the sea. This one is unique and poetic, an ode and a lament to the human condition. I found it profoundly beautiful.