Het is verleidelijk om de esthetiek van de Griekse filmmaker Jacqueline Lentzou, die al enkele jaren een begrip is binnen het kortefilmcircuit, te reduceren tot louter meanderend. Haar werk tast doorgaans wat in het rond, meer op zoek naar de texturen van haar protagonisten dan naar enige plot of narratieve logica. Lentzou is geïnteresseerd in de manier waarop het zonlicht door een vuil raam binnenvalt en hoe de gebroken stralen langzaam een huilend gezicht onthullen, niet zozeer in waarom er wordt gehuild.
part of
double bill #17
The End of Suffering (A Proposal)
Locarno Film Festival
2020
New York Film Festival
2020
Drama Int’l Short Film Festival
FIPRESCI Award 2020
Sofia is panicky again. The Universe decides to contact her—an other-worldly dialogue. Jacqueline Lentzou’s short film is a planet symphony for Mars, where people dream awake and fight for love.
Bio Jacqueline Lentzou
Greek director Jacqueline Lentzou is one of the most exciting talents in today’s European cinema. Her work often revolves around atypical family structures, and her cinematic language finds poetry in seemingly mundane premises. Lentzou’s films have been presented at festivals such as Berlinale, Locarno, and Semaine de la Critique in Cannes.
In The End of Suffering (A Proposal), Sofia hears the comforting voice of the universe that counters the endless gloom that has taken the best of her. This earthly suffering leads her to a newfound home: Mars. Unbeknownst to Sofia, this is, in fact, her place of birth. She learns her discomfort may stem from displacement, and she rekindles a sense of belonging to others. “Is there life on Mars?” Unlike the David Bowie song, Lentzou’s film offers a clear vision of the different possibilities of life on the Red Planet. Lentzou presents Mars in more detail than ever before: a fertile terrain that dismantles preconceived notions from the past and proposes a new understanding of our future. On this planet, life (not death) blooms, and love (not war) prevails. A lively dream that easily hooks us to the silver screen.
Credits
Script
Cast
Sofia Kokkali
Camera
Konstantinos Koukoulios
Editor
Smaro Papaevaneglou
Sound
Leandros Ntounis
Producer
Fenia Cossovitsa
Distributor
Square Eyes