Footprints on the Moon

The action unfolds over a few days, spanning Monday to Thursday, with a two-day memory gap that distorts Alice's sense of reality. The narrative blends contemporary government life with dreamlike, cinematic imagery tied to a lunar mission frame. This temporal ambiguity heightens the sense of disorientation and psychological tension throughout the story.

The story moves from the government hubs of Rome to the sunlit Turkish island town of Garma, where a hotel, forested paths, and a distinctive peacock-window mansion anchor the mystery. Garma's coastal setting and its retreat atmosphere contribute to a surreal mood that merges reality with memory. The Moon appears at the opening as a symbolic plot device, casting a science-fiction tint over the events and the film-within-a-film motif.

🧠 Memory & Identity

Alice experiences a dissociative episode that creates an alternate identity and a false memory of a past encounter. The two-day gap and the Footprints on the Moon motif force her to question what is real. The island and the mansion become catalysts for memory reconstruction, revealing how trauma reshapes self-perception. The theme tracks the fragility of identity under pressure and manipulation.

🎭 Reality vs Illusion

Footprints on the Moon haunts Alice as a parallel narrative she can't fully escape. Garma's locals sometimes behave in ways that feel performative, as if scenes are staged for an unseen audience. The borders between memory, dream, and film blur, pulling the viewer into a psychological maze.

🕵️ Conspiracy & Control

The film hints at a broader program of surveillance and memory manipulation led by Blackmann and higher authorities. Garma's scattered government papers and the enigmatic behavior of locals suggest a controlled experiment on perception. Characters' actions hint at hidden agendas beyond their stated roles.

🌫️ Trauma & Dissociation

Alice's breakdown drives the plot, with memory fragmentation fueling fear and misidentification. The memory slips and the alter ego of 'Nicole' reveal the deep psychological toll of stress and nightmares. The culmination in a hospital underscores the lasting impact of trauma and the struggle to regain a coherent sense of self.