When from his kitchen the cook Nikolai sees Varya sitting at the bar, it’s love at first sight. The Greek woman with a Russian name and the Russian Nikolai find each other in an indefinable city. But the double entendre of the film title soon gets explained: the things we do out of love are not always loving. Where there is real love and passion, you can also hurt each other; and insecurity, exasperation and even violence await.
In her feature debut (produced as part of De Oversteek project by broadcasters VPRO and NTR, the Film Fund and the Media Fund), Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito shows us harsh moments from this turbulent relationship. In the brilliantly acted leading roles, Danil Vorobyev (seen at IFFR 2014 in Eastern Boys) and theatre actress Naomi Velissariou reveal what people can do to each other, precisely when they love each other. Safety and suffocation as two sides of the same coin.
Film details
- Country of production
- Netherlands
- Year
- 2016
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2016
- Length
- 101'
- Medium/Format
- DCP
