Movie review: 'State Of Weightlessness' outstanding

The outstanding film avoids dry discussion of hard science in favor of a bluntly funny, mournful and moving exploration of the Russian soul.

By Colin Covert, Star Tribune

Last update: January 5, 2007 - 8:32 AM

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STATE OF WEIGHTLESSNESS

3½ out of 4 stars

Unrated, documentary images of dead astronauts and animal experiments.

Where: Bell Aud., 17th & University Aves. SE., Mpls, 612- 624-7083. In Russian with English subtitles. $5-$7.

When: 7 p.m. Thursday.

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***½ out of four stars

Unrated, documentary images of dead astronauts and animal experiments.

Where: Bell Aud., 17th & University Aves. SE., Mpls, (612) 624-7083. In Russian with English subtitles. $5-$7.

When: 7 p.m. Thursday.

The outstanding "State of Weightlessness" avoids dry discussion of hard science in favor of a bluntly funny, mournful and moving exploration of the Russian soul.

Rocket men from Herman Titov, the second man in space, to Valeri Polakov, who spent a record 241 days in orbit in 1988, discuss the mystical feelings inspired by space flight, the anxiety of re-entry, cures for space station homesickness (flushing the toilet), and the need for the Soviet Psychological Support Service to provide long-term space pioneers the kind of movies lonely men like.

Peppered with unique insights (space is not black but gray; prunes are a must in orbit) and tough questions (was sending men into orbit worth the effort?), this is the kind of anti-PR film NASA would never produce.