Blindsight
A blinking camera joins a noble and intimate journey as a fellow traveller.
In this unique, melancholic road movie, Romanian director Adrian Sitaru once again collaborates with his regular director of photography, Adrian Silişteanu. Silişteanu creates the illusion that the actors are handing the camera to each other. Each scene is shot from a different character’s perspective, so we only hear voices and see hands or reflections. The camera sometimes blinks or shifts through colourful filters.
After a warm family embrace at their grandmother’s birthday party, the group sets off by boat for Turkey. Their trip is not just for fun: the youngest, Andrei, needs surgery in Istanbul. The 13-year-old boy can sense things, but he cannot see. Their intricately planned voyage takes an unexpected turn when they discover Katerina, a Ukrainian refugee, hiding on their rented boat. She is searching for her parents in Turkey, but her presence there is both risky and illegal.
Preserved memories, fragile and on the verge of vanishing, are pieced together from silent 8 mm reels and staged footage. Along the way, dogs, seagulls, minks, donkeys and horses join this surreal odyssey, which blossoms into a vivid, whimsical and bittersweet fantasy. It culminates in a dance that will linger long after the end credits.
Edvinas Pukšta
Adrian Sitaru (1971) is a Romanian filmmaker and screenwriter who studied film directing at the National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest. He gained international recognition with his short film "Valuri" (2007), which won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival. His debut feature "Pescuit sportiv” (2008), was selected for major festivals including Toronto and Palm Springs. His later films include "Best Intentions" (2011), which earned him Best Director award at Locarno, "Illegitimate" (2016), which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and won the C.I.C.A.E. Award. "The Fixer" (2016) was screened in Toronto, Tokyo, Oslo, etc. His work has been widely screened and awarded at international festivals for its distinctive voice in contemporary Romanian cinema.
Filmograafia:
Pescuit sportive (Hooked, 2009), Din dragoste cu cele mai bune intentii (Best Intentions, 2011), Domestic (2012), Ilegitim (Illegitimate, 2016), Fixeur (2016), Blindsight (2025)