A man pondering the unrecognized aspects of space travel has more than a few problems to contend with on Earth in this French Canadian drama. Phillippe (Robert Lepage) is "professional student" who lives with his ailing mother (Anne-Marie Cadieux) in a small, run-down apartment in Quebec. Phillippe has spent years working on his doctoral thesis, which looks at the philosophical and emotional consequences of the race into space between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 1960s and '70s. Phillippe just barely supports himself as a telemarketer, his cold-calling has put him in touch with a former girlfriend who isn't especially happy to hear from him, and an attempt to discuss his research with a former Russian cosmonaut has near-disastrous results. Phillippe also has to put up with his younger brother André (also played by Lepage), a television weather announcer who has money, a small degree of fame, a handsome boyfriend, and almost no respect for Phillippe. As his mother's health takes a severe turn for the worst, Phillippe's luck seems to have changed at last when he's invited to Russia to discuss his recently published thesis on the space program, but André is not willing to help look after their mother. Far Side of the Moon (aka La Face Cachée de la Lune) was written, directed, and edited by leading man Lepage, who adapted the script from his own stage play.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide