Nocturne

In the makers’ highly praised graduation film Onno the Oblivious, the protagonist ran through life, desperately in search of the cause of his discontent. Four years later, in the unusual Nocturne, this search has not become any less feverish. This time round it’s Alex, an ambitious debut filmmaker, who is trying to get to grips with his work. Time is pressing. Producers are becoming impatient. The crew bombard him with questions. Tonight, it’s do or die. Torn back and forth between his project, his departed lover and his sick mother, Alex’s life increasingly resembles a ghostly, wildly poetic film noir. The pistol! The tormented look! The dramatic music! The forceful close-up! Will Alex have to choose between love or ambition, reality or art? Are we witness to an attempt to film a mind in action, seen from its interior? Or are we watching the process of creation of the film? (International Film Festival Rotterdam)