TOTALITY

US PREMIERE What makes people so fascinated by solar eclipses? Totality begins with that question, reaching back to archival footage from the 1970s, when a newscaster looks ahead to the 2024 eclipse and hopes it will occur over “a world at peace.” Flash forward to the year in question, as David Heilbroner and Kate Davis, directing 21 film teams, set out to explore North American communities that fall in the path of a total blackout, where the moon will completely block the sun’s light. They encounter a population seeking something almost spiritual: to look skyward and, for a brief moment, contemplate a universe larger than themselves—a vastness we are part of and still barely understand. When the eclipse finally arrives in this superbly shot film, the shared human emotion is genuinely touching. – Jaie Laplante

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors David Heilbroner and Kate Davis and protagonist Mathieu Batiste.

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.