The Backward Astronomer

The plot

At a ritzy, shareholders party, a wealthy man meets an equally wealthy woman. Both beautiful, young, and eager to abandon their modest dispositions, they gussle expensive liquor and dine out every night in lavish restaurants. But over time, the man (our narrator) describes feeling exhausted by his lifestyle. Unable or unwilling to communicate this to his lover, he ventures into an area of the city he never cared to see before. There, he finds a doorway that leads directly to the surface

of the moon.

Inexplicably, he hides this from her and begins a secret affair, of sorts— sneaking off to the moon almost nightly to watch the earth through his telescope. What draws him to this space, why does he feel the need to

experience it alone, and for how long can he sustain the lie?

The Backward Astronomer is a meditation on privilege, love, maturation, and obsession. As we move through the surreal, animated world of artist and filmmaker Jake Nelson, blanketed in an eclectic, experimental soundtrack, we find grounding in the prosodic insights of our protagonist (played by Todd Field). The end result is a poignant story of youth and heartbreak, as both characters are forced to confront the dark sides of each other and the world at large. 

• Age Rating General (12 and under)
• Running time 00:10:06 mins



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