The Island (2023)

Director: Julien Pujol
Stars: Nina Aboutajedyne, Ingmar Jõela, Luna Karjalainen

After travelling around the world, Nina and Mathieu arrive on an island to spend midsummer with friends. As nature and time slowly take their place, they have to confront the emptiness of desire.

One of the most extraordinarily beautiful films I've seen, hopefully a prelude to a long and glorious career in filmmaking. Understated simplicity of characters combined with lush, gorgeous cinematography makes this a special film, and one id love to see again. Grateful to have seen this in Locarno and i hope I gets a wider release. The location and events bring something new to the world, a sort of poetic recalibration. First film in a while where I was totally transfixed, took notes, and felt inspired. I'd be curious to know more about these characters, but their poetic portrayal forced me to look inside for parallels in my own lived experiences.

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