To The Moon

A young boy who dreams of going to the moon uses his imagination in order to escape from his unstable household.

The story of this short film takes place on the 20th of July 1969, which was the day American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people ever to land on the Moon.

Nish is a little boy sitting outside his home, wearing a handmade astronaut helmet and listening to the mission taking place through a radio. He then goes home, where his father ignores him and his brother. The boy then proceeds to watch the spectacular events on television and when an argument begins between his parents, he enters his fantasy world, where he imagines that he is an astronaut who is landing on the Moon.

The film was made in a way that sees the world through the eyes of the child and the narrative contains drama and things get quite upsetting when the couple argue. The atmosphere suddenly changes when the boy abandons the real world and switches to his fantasy. The fantasy section is arguably the best part of the film thanks to all the elements present. The child imagines that he is inside a spaceship, travelling through space and the mise-en-scene consists of a spaceship and controls that are made out of cardboard and a miniature Earth. All these look like they were made by children. The use of lighting is rather creative during this scene and the shaky camera gives the impression that the cardboard spaceship is actually moving. The imagination scene is quite a mesmerising and enjoyable ride. The radio and television in the film give the impression that they were made during the sixties.

The performances are good. Gaith is convincing as a boy filled with enthusiasm and imagination about the wonders of travelling through space. Ram is the strict and serious father and Baskaran is the mother who is kind and gentle to her two sons.

The voice of the radio presenter covering the space event is heard almost throughout the entire film and the music by Jodie Grayer is beautiful, emotional and dramatic and during the dream part it sounds rather adventurous.

To The Moon is an interesting and admirable achievement that looks into the life of a young boy and explores his dreams. It also pays homage to the 1969 Moon Landing and encourages people to follow their goals.