[Ruby Hornet will be attending the 49th Chicago International Film Festival from 10/10 – 10/24. Be sure to follow along as we bring you coverage from the longest-running competitive international film festival in the country. You can find all of our coverage from this year’s CIFF here.]

Lasting (Nieulotne)
Director: Jacek Borcuch
Countries: Poland and Spain

CIFF Screenings: October 14, 2013 (5:45pm), October 15, 2013 (3:00pm)

 

Summer love rarely lasts, yet it’s usually because of circumstances outside of the couple’s hands. Yet, for those days, weeks, months, those shared moments feel like they’re everlasting. In Jacek Borcuch’s Lasting, Michal and Karina fall in love while on holiday in Spain. However, a life-changing encounter Michal has with an overzealous landowner changes the trajectory of the relationship. In a film in which Michael’s harboring of a secret presents the main source of conflict, it’s Karina’s own secret that further balance’s Lasting‘s theme of secrecy.

Lasting was awarded the Cinematography Award for a World Cinema Drama at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and it shows with its soft hues accentuated by long, contemplative silences. The contrast between the heavenly, dreamscape-like landscape of Spain with the muted, dreary sights of Poland further drive the connection between cinematography and narrative.

Score: RH scoreRH scoreRH scoreRH scoreRH scoreRH score 6 out of 10