52nd Annual Rotterdam International Film Festival Highlights | Festivals & Awards


IFFR’s Big Screen Competition encompassed a wide range of international work, from the more mainstream-friendly “Endless Borders,” also from Iran, to the more challenging Mexican three-character chamber drama “Before the Buzzards Arrive.” 

Before We Collapse

“Before We Collapse,” co-directed by French novelist Alice Zeniter and Benoit Volais, brought comic touches, pathos, and a political slant to the tale of one man’s inadvertent brush with fatherhood. Tristan, a callow political campaign manager who juggles an active string of hookups in his private life, is brought up short by receiving a positive pregnancy test anonymously through the mail. His situation is complicated because a fatal hereditary disease runs in his family, but he has refused to be tested for the gene. Fear fuels his pursuit of past paramours in an attempt to find the prospective mother.

Zeniter’s script takes Tristan on a nostalgic tour through various lifestyles and ideologies representing the women of his past and includes a visit to a communal farm where urban revolution vs. grassroots activism is dinner table talk. Before it ends, “Before We Collapse” wittily evokes a bit of early Godard, the talky political affinities of Alain Tanner, and the romantic complications typical of Philippe Garrel.

The Iranian/Czech/German co-production “Endless Borders,” by Abbas Amini, was ultimately announced as the winner of IFFR’s Big Screen Competition, an award that guarantees that the film will play for a run in Dutch cinemas. Although relatively conventional in its form, the film has a currency that meshes with IFFR’s implied global concerns. A drama overt in its political implications, “Endless Borders” highlights hot-button issues that include the plight of Afghan refugees attempting to escape to the West and the Iranian regime’s persecution of intellectuals.  

Endless Borders

Vaezi is the sole schoolteacher in a tiny remote village on the Afghan border. The barren landscape, with its white-sand flatlands and formidable cliffs, projects loneliness and isolation. He is not there by choice but as a result of being sentenced to exile for an unspecified crime of a political nature. His wife Niloofar, also a teacher, is serving a sentence in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison for the same crime, which in her case, appears to be guilt by association.

When a bedraggled clutch of Afghan refugees heading for the Turkish border turns up near the village, Vaezi leaves his classroom unattended and attempts to render what humanitarian aid is possible given his meager circumstances. In one family group, a dying old man is in dire need of medication. The teen girl, who appears to be his daughter, seems strangely unconcerned. Not everyone in this family is who they seem. Village rivalries and ethnic animosity are stirred up by the arrival of the needy strangers, and the teacher’s good intentions threaten to sabotage his freedom and future when he is unwittingly entangled in a web that involves attempted murder and illicit love.

You can view the original article HERE.

Brand New Day’ Title Mean for the MCU?
Brand New Day’ Title Mean for the MCU?
Carrie Coon Declined MCU Return in ‘Avengers: Endgame’ After Pay Dispute
Carrie Coon Declined MCU Return in ‘Avengers: Endgame’ After Pay Dispute
What Are Your Favorite Roger Ebert Reviews About Empathy? | Roger Ebert
What Are Your Favorite Roger Ebert Reviews About Empathy? | Roger Ebert
Jason Momoa’s ‘Chief of War’ Gets First Look and Apple TV+ Release Date
Jason Momoa’s ‘Chief of War’ Gets First Look and Apple TV+ Release Date
‘Batman Forever’ and ‘Top Gun’ star Val Kilmer has died, aged 65
‘Batman Forever’ and ‘Top Gun’ star Val Kilmer has died, aged 65
Gary Glitter declared bankrupt after failing to pay victim
Gary Glitter declared bankrupt after failing to pay victim
Donald Trump signs executive order against “exploitative ticket scalping” in the US
Donald Trump signs executive order against “exploitative ticket scalping” in the US
Miley Cyrus shares dramatic new song ‘Prelude’
Miley Cyrus shares dramatic new song ‘Prelude’
Fans of Jason Statham’s ‘A Working Man’ Need to Watch Brad Pitt’s ‘Fury’
Fans of Jason Statham’s ‘A Working Man’ Need to Watch Brad Pitt’s ‘Fury’
New ‘Superman’ 5-Minute Preview Confirmed by DC Studios for ‘Minecraft’
New ‘Superman’ 5-Minute Preview Confirmed by DC Studios for ‘Minecraft’
The Hunting Party Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Who Goes Undercover To Trick a Sadistic Killer?
The Hunting Party Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Who Goes Undercover To Trick a Sadistic Killer?
‘The Boys’ Antony Starr Recalls His Failed Audition for James Bond
‘The Boys’ Antony Starr Recalls His Failed Audition for James Bond
Dodgers beat reeling Braves for 1st 6-0 start since 1981
Dodgers beat reeling Braves for 1st 6-0 start since 1981
Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart, Four Others Suspended For Timberwolves Brawl
Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart, Four Others Suspended For Timberwolves Brawl
Ravens’ Harbaugh: Lamar will be highest-paid player after extension
Ravens’ Harbaugh: Lamar will be highest-paid player after extension
Judge not satisfied despite torrid start: ‘We’re getting there’
Judge not satisfied despite torrid start: ‘We’re getting there’
Mavs Fan Says Phone Taken, Smashed After ‘Fire Nico’ Incident, Plans To File Police Report
Mavs Fan Says Phone Taken, Smashed After ‘Fire Nico’ Incident, Plans To File Police Report
Dua Lipa’s Wine Tasting Adventure in Auckland Sparks Global Fan Frenzy
Dua Lipa’s Wine Tasting Adventure in Auckland Sparks Global Fan Frenzy
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi Seeking Death Penalty for Luigi Mangione
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi Seeking Death Penalty for Luigi Mangione
Russell Brand Fires Back at Critics Amidst Controversial Tweets
Russell Brand Fires Back at Critics Amidst Controversial Tweets
Oksana Grebenyuk: ” TikTok and Instagram Have Become the Main Sources of Inspiration for Makeup Artists”
Oksana Grebenyuk: ” TikTok and Instagram Have Become the Main Sources of Inspiration for Makeup Artists”
There May Be a Hidden Clue About 'The White Lotus' Murder in Chloe's Necklace – Shop Here
There May Be a Hidden Clue About 'The White Lotus' Murder in Chloe's Necklace – Shop Here
The GLAAD Awards Honor Cynthia Erivo, Hacks, Doechii, Drag Race, and more!
The GLAAD Awards Honor Cynthia Erivo, Hacks, Doechii, Drag Race, and more!
Your Glamorous Guide To Spring Festival Fashion!
Your Glamorous Guide To Spring Festival Fashion!