Johannes Kepler has just 10 nights to experiment with Galileo’s telescope, a revolutionary new invention that is astounding people around the world. It’s the summer of 1610 in Prague, and Kepler is serving as mathematician and astronomer for Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor. With Galileo’s superb instrument, Kepler will finally achieve his dream of seeing the night sky with new eyes. Though his head is definitely in the stars, he’ll play a key role in a great upheaval set to play out here on Earth. Renowned French documentary filmmaker Stan Neumann (La langue ne ment pas) takes a crack at a fictional work with this sharp-eyed look at a little-known historical figure played with his usual aplomb by Denis Lavant. Cinematographer Matthieu Poirot-Delpech shot entirely at night by candlelight, giving the film a velvety, intriguing feel. The Stargazer captures a time when science seemed to be a bright light at the end of the very dark tunnel created by obscurantism and superstition.