Drama | 96 min | HD

BOX

Florin Şerban

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The exceptional film director Florin Şerban studied at Columbia University in New York and holds a masters degree in Film Directing. In 2002 he finished the “Romanian National University for Film and Theatre”. In 1998, he received a master’s degree in “Philosophy and Hermeneutics”. 

During his time as a student he wrote and directed several short films and documentaries and won countless prizes and scholarships. With his directing debut IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE he won two Silver Bears at the Berlinale 2010, the Jury Grand Prix and the Alfred Bauer Award for innovative Cinema, among many other awards.

It seems that the only thing Rafael and Cristina have in common is performance anxiety. Rafael comes from a poor gypsy family, washes cars to make ends meet while living with his headstrong grandfather. He is on the verge of his breakthrough as a professional boxer. Cristina, in her mid-thirties, is a married mother of one child, and actress at the local theatre.

Without knowing each other Rafael and Cristina walk the same route every day and it takes a little lifetime before they finally encounter one another. Nothing seems to connect them, but blood, sweat, and tears. So different appear their worlds, that we are amazed by the love that grows between them silently and gently.

Slowly but surely, the view of their lives is condensed and it turns out that they are not so different after all. Cristina’s husband is the star of the theatre ensemble and her work is overshadowed by him. During rehearsals for a play she is also being bullied by the director. Rafael, meanwhile, gets encouraged by his coach to lose the next fight and is thus drawn into the machinations of the gambling mafia.

Rhythm and choreography are important aspects of their worlds and it is movement that connects their fates. All of this is shown in unobtrusive and quiet images, in tune with the almost hypothetical construct of their love, which gives it even more dignity at the end of the last act.

Production:
Fantascope
Co-Producer:
augenschein Fimproduktion
MPM Film
Broadcaster:
ZDF/ARTE
World Sales:
The Match Factory
Sponsor:
Film- und Medienstiftung NRW
Eurimages
Production year:
2015
Locations:
Romania
Script:
Florin Șerban
Director:
Florin Șerban
Producer:
Florin Șerban
Jonas Katzenstein
Maximilian Leo
Marie-Pierre Macia
Juliette Lepoutre
Editor:
Holger Stern
Nadja Dumouchel
Cast:
Rafael Florea
Hilda Péter
Script:
Florin Șerban
Director:
Florin Șerban
Producer:
Florin Șerban
Jonas Katzenstein
Maximilian Leo
Marie-Pierre Macia
Juliette Lepoutre
Cast:
Rafael Florea
Hilda Péter
DoP:
Marius Panduru
Prod. design:
Mihaela Poenaru
Costume design:
Augustina Stanciu
Make-Up artist:
Astrid Weber
Editing:
Eugen Kelemen
Line producer:
Philipp Stendebach
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