Les chasseurs d'ombre (2000)

Like butterflies drawn to the light of the cosmos, eclipse enthusiasts travel the planet to witness the Sun die and then come back to life. On August 11, 1999, film crews all along the path of totality followed four such eclipse chasers. Quebec humorist and radio and television host Paul Houde travels to Austria to share this special moment with his father, age 72, and his son, age 12. Alain Cirou, a scientific popularizer and editor of the magazine Ciel & Espace, gives a running commentary live on national radio as he observes the eclipse in France. In Germany, Olivier Staiger is part of a group that uses the latest technology to capture the event live for the Internet. In India, Debasis Sakar, accompanied by his wife, two year old son and four other friends, travel 4,000 km under difficult conditions so his son can see his first eclipse. The tension mounts as the countdown to totality begins : nothing is certain. Indeed, despite technological advances, eclipse enthusiasts are always at the mercy of the weather. will Alain, Paul, Olivier and Debasis get to see the eclipsed Sun? Emotions swing from anxiety to ecstasy to disappointment, with the camera capturing their worried looks, smiles and scarcely suppressed tears. Nothing has changed over the centuries. From the legends of different religions and cultures to explain the mysteries of the world to the quest of the film's protagonists, human beings have always sought some sign of their connection to the cosmos. Shadow Chasers is a poetic meditation on humanity's place in the universe and bears witness to the transformative power of wonder.