Monday at PÖFF takes you on a journey where love, identity and human fragility intertwine. The day begins with silent goodbyes and unexpected encounters, and ends with a question: How far does one’s responsibility extend toward oneself and toward others?
Three Goodbyes explores a separation that opens the door to a new life. Rental Family explores the boundary between role-playing and loneliness, while The Dating Game reflects on modern love in a society where balance is a thing of the past. Romería leads us through the Catalonian landscapes in search of roots and family secrets. Meanwhile, White Snail paints a tender portrait of two reclusive souls searching for their place in the world.
The evening culminates in a vibrant selection of stories larger than life itself. Miss Jobson tells the story of Bob Marley’s legendary attorney and Club Zero, fresh from its Cannes premiere, faces a world where wellness has become the newest religion.
Find all of today’s PÖFF screenings here!
10 November, Monday, 6.15pm, Artis
Director: Isabel Coixet
Country: Italy, Spain
Marta and Antonio have been together for seven years. Marta works as a physical education teacher at a high school, while Antonio is an ambitious chef. One evening, a seemingly trivial clash unfolds between them. Three Goodbyes reveals how life can hold several meanings, even when everything appears to be falling apart. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
10 November, Monday, 6.30pm, Apollo Solaris
Director: Hikari
Country: Japan
Brendan Fraser stars in Rental Family as an actor who begins working for a company that provides “role players” to take part in clients’ everyday lives. His job is to portray, at various times, a journalist, a father, or a friend until the line between performance and reality starts to blur. In this heartwarming film, Japanese director Hikari explores themes of loneliness and identity.
10 November, Monday, 7pm, Apollo Plaza
In Focus: Catalonia
Director: Carla Simón
Country: Spain, Germany
Young woman Marina travels to Vigo to obtain a document confirming her origins, but what begins as a bureaucratic mission soon turns into a personal journey into the past. Encounters with her father’s family bring to light conflicting memories and long-hidden secrets. Romería is a tender family drama about the search for identity and reconciliation. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival competition program.
10 November, Monday, 6:45pm, Apollo Solaris
Director: Violet Du Feng
Country: USA, United Kingdom, Norway, China
Three single men try to find love in a society where men outnumber women by tens of millions. They take part in an intensive course led by dating coach Hao, where “strategic deception” replaces the usual advice to “be yourself.” The Dating Game is a sharp and humorous documentary that exposes the absurd and painful realities of modern love in China.
10 November, Monday, 8.30pm, Apollo Plaza
Director: Elsa Kremser, Levin Peter
Country: Austria
White Snail is a poetic love story about two young people living on the margins of society, united by loneliness and a longing for belonging. An aspiring model and an artist working in a morgue find in each other something the world has so far denied them: true understanding. Awarded at the Locarno Film Festival, the film blends documentary authenticity with magical realism.
10 November, Monday, 8.45pm, Artis
Director: Amanda Sans Pantling
Country: Jamaica, Spain
A lively and heartfelt portrait of Bob Marley’s close friend and legendary lawyer, who dedicated her life to defending the rights of Jamaica’s poor. At 80, Jobson reflects on her fearless journey, her friendships and her freedom. Through music, humor and candid conversations, an inspiring story emerges of a woman who always lived life on her own terms and to the fullest.
10 November, Monday, 9.30pm, Apollo Plaza
Director: Jessica Hausner
Country: Austria, Germany, France, Denmark, Türkiye, Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Club Zero is a sharp and stylish satire on contemporary susceptibility, tracing how a seemingly harmless lecture about healthy eating escalates into a dangerous cult. Mia Wasikowska stars as a teacher whose seemingly innocent ideology spirals into an uncontrollable fixation among the youth. Club Zero premiered in the main competition program at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.