Brian is inspired by this paranormal event. Next morning he resolves to find the object that flashed across the sky. Heinz his employer, personal critic, and dubious source of expert information is skeptical. With the help of Ivison, Brian begins compiling an aural ethnography of sightings and anecdotal descriptions of the event from the people he talks with. Everyone, it seems, saw the meteorite. However, Ivison's veracity comes in to question.
The shooting was postponed because Romy Schneider broke her leg. It began in May 1981, but was interrupted some weeks later. Schneider had a kidney operation and her son David died in July. The remaining scenes were shot from October to December. Romy Schneider dedicated this - her last - movie to David and his father.