Today's film selection takes a closer look at alienation in close relationships. Can asexuality be cured with a good homecoming? Why is it often the parent who leaves his family and leaves who seems to be the good one in the eyes of the child? How serious do the accusations have to be to jeopardise the eternal union of marriage?
Award-winning and one of the most acclaimed Spanish directors of our time, seven-time Goya Award nominee Manuel Martín Cuenca brings to the screen with Andrea's Love a truly compelling story of divorce through the eyes of a teenage daughter who, together with her younger brothers, embarks on a search for her father and his love. What makes the film special is the lightness of the subject matter, which is often overlooked when dealing with the complex and charged aspects of family models.
The psychological tension is heightened to the max in "Unfolding Heads", in which Maria, as a TV presenter, has to decide whether to stand up for or against the shocking accusations against her husband in front of the critical eyes of the public. A moral dilemma is also posed in The Man from Rome, in which a man of faith, guided by science, must try to save himself from his own depravity instead of those who have gone astray.
In turn, the possibility and impossibility of saving a marriage is dissected by one of Hungary's best-known film directors, Szabolcs Hajdu, in his vividly authentic drama film Kalman's Day. The evening will be filled with laughter in the farcical comedy "Proposing", where a marriage proposal via Instagram is followed by a dinner with Raimundas' not overly enthusiastic mother-in-law, mother-in-law and the rest of the bride's motley family.
See the full PÖFF film programme from Friday here!
Director: Manuel Martín Cuenca, country: Spain
10 Nov, Friday at 21.30 Apollo Cinema Coca-Cola Plaza
International premiere with filmmakers
Award-winning and one of the most acclaimed Spanish directors of our time, seven-time Goya Award nominee Manuel Martín Cuenca's poignant drama is truly evocative in the midst of contemporary family models. After his parents divorced a few years ago, his father disappeared from teenager Andrea's life. Andrea remembers him as a loving, kind-hearted man and can't understand why he doesn't want to see his children again. Andrea will do anything to win her father's love and is prepared to take her mother to court to do it.
Director: Caroline Ingvarsson, country: the United Kingdom
10 Nov, Friday at 21.45 Apollo Cinema Coca-Cola Plaza
"Unmoored" is a gripping cinematic masterpiece that combines outstanding acting, breathtaking landscapes and an intriguing narrative. When Maria, a successful Swedish TV presenter, learns of the shocking allegations against her husband, her whole life comes crashing down. We are drawn into Maria's intricate web of guilt and self-delusion, but also provocatively and cleverly question the idea of doing the right thing.
Director: Jaap van Heusden, countries: the Netherlands and Germany
10 Nov, Friday at 18.30 Apollo Cinema Coca-Cola Plaza
International premiere with filmmakers
"The Man from Rome" is about a modern-day crusader who tries to save humanity from darkness. But in the end, his journey boomerangs him back to his doorstep to confront his inner darkness. With dramaturgy at the forefront, director Jaap van van Heusden's work is simple and complex at the same time. He places the characters in impossible relationships, each mirroring the other, and delves tastefully and artistically deep into their psyches.
Director: Szabolcs Hajdu; countries: Hungary, Slovakia, USA
10 Nov, Friday at 21 Apollo Cinema Coca-Cola Plaza
World premiere with filmmakers
Kálmán no longer knows what love means. His asexual wife, Olga, suggests they renovate their home to save their relationship. Olga's sister Zita comes to celebrate Kalman's name day with her husband Levent, who has a terrible stomachache. Then the sensitive widower Erno knocks on the door. Problems never arrive alone. Szabolcs Hajdu, winner of Karlovy Vary and other festivals, stars in Kálmánina's complex film, a gripping dissection of relationship dynamics.
Director: Ramūnas Cicėnas, country: Lithuania
10 Nov, Friday at 17.30 Apollo Cinema Coca-Cola Plaza
International premiere with filmmakers
Raimundas proposes to Milda in a live video on Instagram. Life gets complicated when he has to convince Milda's family, which is crazier, rowdier and more vicious than Robert de Niro and friends in the film "Meeting Mum". Lithuanian comedian and acclaimed actor Ramūnas Cicėnas makes his debut as a confident director of a farcical comedy whose deceptively pervasive plot builds to a witty portrait of a society full of itself.
Director: Anne de Carbuccia, countries: the USA and Italy
10 Nov, Friday at 17.45 Apollo Cinema Coca-Cola Plaza
International premiere with filmmakers
"Earth Protectors" is a remarkable documentary that explores the impact of human activity on the environment as it travels around the world. Directed by Anne de Carbuccia, an internationally acclaimed environmental artist, the film takes the viewer to extraordinary places to show the Earth's enchanting but vanishing beauty. With technically and visually powerful shots and a thoroughly incisive treatment, this is one of the most outstanding environmental films of the year.
Director: Guel Arraes, Country: Brazil
10 Nov, Friday at 18 Apollo Cinema Coca-Cola Plaza
World premiere with filmmakers
A powerful thriller with intense action, dynamic movement and unique language, this is a remake of the 1965 film of the same name. In a lawless futuristic Brazilian concrete jungle, enemies engage in parkour-style duels to the accompaniment of verse. The adrenaline rush is split into three different time periods: the past introduces the teenage Riobaldo and the handsome Diadorim, the present depicts a bloody clash and reveals gender identities, and the future reveals Riobaldo's deal with the devil.