The Man in the Moon

I remember wanting to see The Man in the Moon when it opened in cinemas, but that was as far as it got. The Man in the Moon is a quiet and atmospheric portrayal of a 14-year-old girl's dramatic summer experiences, which contribute to her development from child to adult.

Dani Trant is the film's protagonist, a headstrong girl who lives on a farm with her parents, her younger siblings and her 17-year-old big sister Maureen, who is her great role model. When the family's old neighbour Marie Foster returns to her farm as a widow after many years away, Dani falls in love for the first time. The chosen one is 17-year-old Court Foster, who is not entirely unaffected by the younger girl's open devotion. They develop a warm friendship, but when Court meets Dani's older sister, the intimacy is over. Both Court and Maureen fall in love as never before, but they keep their relationship secret so as not to hurt Dani, who is slow to grasp what is really going on. By the time the film's great tragedy strikes, Dani has understood the reason for Court's growing coldness towards her, so the sisters are divided in their grief. Life does begin again, though, but much has changed.

The Man in the Moon is very subdued and undramatic - until the tragic event, which consequently has all the greater impact. The film thus makes a rather successful detour into the tearjerker genre, but towards the end it returns to its calm rhythm.