Review by Grace Winburne
Coming off its nomination for Best Film at the 2024 La Biennale di Vineza, Wishing on a Star made its North American premiere at TIFF. Something for documentary film fans and astrologists to enjoy. Two communities that so rarely intersect. Luciana, possesses a unique gift and has an interesting line of work. She is an astrologist, specializing in astrocartography. As an astrocartographist, she charts your stars, calculating the cosmic positions of the heavens upon your birth, and where they’ll be on your next birthday. As you cannot change the stars you were born under, Luciana believes you can be reborn under them. During their visit, people will share their hearts’ deepest desires, be it love, children, or freedom. That desire becomes their wish. A flight is booked, and off they’ll go to celebrate their birthday under those same stars that welcomed them into this world. Upon their return, their wish will be granted, although not exactly how they thought it would. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in us.
While this is a documentary, it felt almost like a narrative film. The director, Péter Kerekes said his goal was to “combine the cinematic feel of a fiction film, with the ability to capture real emotion from real people,”. I have a very different idea of what documentary filmmaking can be, and I was curious as to the process for capturing these stories. Luckily, the premier had an extra special Q&A with Kerekes himself.He said he was able to capture people at their most vulnerable because neither he nor his crew spoke Italian. Due to the language barrier people were able to speak freely, their language providing them with a layer of protection. At least until the footage was translated. People come to a consultation with Luciana, and willingly share their innermost hopes, dreams, insecurities, and intimate details about their lives; with about five or so stories singled out and followed through to completion. We watch as these people either accept their lives as they live them or change their circumstances. As a believer in astrology myself, I found it interesting that we never actually knew the clients’ birthdays, signs, or stars as intimately as did Luciana. Realistically it didn’t make a difference one way or the other. Their signs aren’t important, their willingness to change is what matters most. Still a skeptic? Kerekes said that while he didn’t believe in astrology, he believed in Luciana. Wishing on your lucky stars can only take you so far. If you seek change, yes, ask the stars for guidance, but the real change must come from you.