Story

Story Musgrave was already past 40 when he orbited the earth for the first time. 20 years later, he made his sixth and final space flight for NASA, making him the oldest man ever to walk in space. As if the never-ending practice runs, the risks and the strict medical exams weren't demanding enough, Musgrave is also a father of six, a pilot, surgeon, poet, chemist and mathematician. For Story, the Romanian director Dana Ranga chose a strictly stylised form: throughout virtually the entire film, the camera shows a close-up of Musgrave's bald head while he recounts his experiences. Ranga alternates these images with spectacular footage of Planet Earth. Musgrave comes across as quiet and deliberate; he has reflected on everything in his life and has a catchy way of telling about it. The form of the film, along with Musgrave's monotonous voice and the careful words he chooses, lends the images a spiritual quality. Story is the portrait of a man with an incredible drive. Musgrave says he wants to reinvent himself one last time, as he did when he became an astronaut: from now on, he will devote himself to painting and capturing beauty. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)