A film about space, time & the pursuit
of gravitational waves.
The Faraway Nearby follows the tragic life of pioneer physicist Joseph Weber, whose pursuit of gravitational waves takes him on a dizzying journey from the height of acclaim to the depths of despair and disdain when he breaks the cardinal rule of science and clings to his ideas though his results can't be duplicated. Physicists, artists, and other creatives explore the emotional side of discovery and question whether the risk is worth the journey.
Synopsis:
Working at the intersection of creativity and science, The Faraway Nearby illustrates Joe Weber’s story of struggle and discovery as he worked to be the first to ‘hear’ gravitational waves in deep space. A passion that consumed him until his death, The Faraway Nearby tells a timely story of self sacrifice and the pioneering spirit, featuring interviews with Nobel Laureates such as Kip Thorne and Rai Weiss, astrophysicists Nergis Mavalvala and Rana Adhikari, psychologist Steven Pinker, and many others, Weber is remembered as a brilliant but misunderstood thinker who took the field of astronomy to new heights through determination and creativity. Featuring artists like dancer Silas Riener and painter Lia Halloran, the film explores the relationship between digilent creative practice and the resilience necessary for scientific discovery, and how both give meaning to our lives and help us understand our place in the universe. Never before seen personal and professional archives and revolutionary new digital production techniques deliver audiences into Weber’s universe, where the ex-navy serviceman and avid mountaineer fought to have his ideas heard in a competitive but constantly evolving landscape amidst huge cultural and philosophical change. His battle led to ostracization from the scientific community he longed for needed approval from. Yet his ideas laid the groundwork for the creation of LIGO, the gravity wave detector that was honored with the Nobel Prize for science in 2017.
