The movie gave a triumphal closure to the awards ceremony of Ibiza Cine Fest that was held last Sunday at the cultural centre Can Ventosa.
This fascinating film, directed by Dimitri de Clercq, tells the story of “Dafne/Kitty” (Delfine Bafort), a young woman who, after having a fatal car accident in the middle of the Sahara desert, tries to recover her memory and move on with her life.
The story is catchy from the start. In a hostile corner of the world under the burning sun, without water, without a soul on the horizon, and totally shocked after the crash, the hope to survive vanishes fast. But life always finds a crack to leak, and that’s how when this beautiful woman is about to die, her saviour, Jake (Svetozar Cvetković) appears in action.
This successful architect—who is living in his own dream, literally—probably thought he had everything under control until they met. Mesmerised by the beauty of the mysterious woman, he takes her to a doctor and when he tells him that she has post-traumatic amnesia, he decides to keep a little secret from her and presents himself as her husband. “Kitty” (as he likes to call her) is totally confused and struggles hard to remember any clue to her previous life, but the kindness of Jake and the comfort he offers, give her the space she needs to recover, while they start to know each other.
The thriller is absolutely hypnotizing for too many reasons: the actors’ performance, the stunning location, the surreal landscapes, and the ethereal music… If I had to define the film with just one word, it would be BEAUTY. But there is much more than that. The tension between the characters develops in the midst of a great storm of feelings: the fear of loneliness, the desire to love, the shame and bitterness for our darkest secrets, and the great mystery that precedes the inevitable. For sure, it is an intriguing journey to the hidden deserts we have inside, too.
As a curious fact, the film’s main location, the Fobe House, has just been published in Phaidon’s “Living in the Desert” as one of the 50 great contemporary architectural desert creations.
After participating in several international festivals—Cairo International Film Festival in Egypt, Bogota Film Festival in Colombia, and the BAFTA-Recognised Aesthetica Film Festival (ASFF) in York, UK—, the film will be released in America in the coming Spring-Summer, something quite remarkable for an independent European movie. If you haven’t watched it yet, you can follow the upcoming events and news on Facebook, clicking here.