To the Moon

"To the moon" is a collage of the influence that the moon has had on human beings from time immemorial. The "to" from the title has to be interpreted as "ode to" and not as "towards".

The influence I mentioned in the first sentence is very broad. From a positive influence (moonlit love night) to a negative influence (werewolf). But also the influence the moon has had on various art forms is taken broad: myths and legends, poetry, music, opera but above all film!

"To the moon" defies all categorization. It is certainly not a narrative movie but it is neither a documentary. The term film essay is probably the most appropriate. Of all the films I have seen, "Häxan" (1922, Benjamin Christen) problably comes close. This film is labeled a "fictionalized documentary".

There is however not much use in trying to answer the question to which genre "To the moon" belongs. It is much more pleasant to simply experience the movie. A movie which begins with a wonderful quotation from Guy de Maupassant: "If the night is for sleep, for the subconscious, for forgetting, why is it fairer than the day, more beautiful than the dawn, and this alluring star more poetic than the sun?".

Watching the movie I recognized only some of the film clips. I was anxious to see the film credits at the end. Unfortunately only the consulted archives were shown and not the individual movie clips. The only (small) disappointment in watching this film essay.