Stargazer

Stargazer is an impressive directing debut for Alan McIntyre and a brilliant performance, also a debut, from Kate Ginna. She plays Grace, an earnest, slightly naive young woman who is passionate to tell the story of Cecelia Payne, whose breakthrough discovery about what stars are made of was first dismissed, then shamelessly appropriated, by her male colleagues. Grace teams up with a veteran-male-journalist in her effort to turn the public's attention to this forgotten genius. And just as she seems to be within reach of a big media splash, she finds the same dynamic that suffocated Payne playing itself out again. This is an offbeat, engaging, elegantly filmed picture, with fine supporting performances by Matt Bogart and Lei Nico. The script, cowritten by Ginna and seasoned playwright/screenwriter Rob Ackerman, is funny, quirky, and consistently compelling. No surprise that it has won awards at film festivals all around the US. Worth seeking out.