Icebergs

In a forgotten village of the Yucatán, Lena, a 68-year-old widow, crosses paths with Leon, a 62-year-old Mayan guardian of nature’s secrets and spirits. Lena finds an unexpected companion in Leon. Despite their differences and seemingly opposite worlds, a deep connection forms between them—one that will bind them until death. In his new film, Germinal Roaux, one of the most unique voices of contemporary European cinema, delivers a philosophical story about aging and the decay of the body. Above all, it’s about solidarity and the small gestures of love that give meaning—and dignity—to our existence. True to the aesthetic codes established in his previous works, Roaux’s film, shot in black and white and unfolding with a ritualistic rhythm that mirrors the slow passage of time at the twilight of life, speaks poetically and with genuine emotion about the most essential bond that connects us: love.

Fortuna, a 14-year-old Ethiopian girl, has had no news of her parents since they crossed the Mediterranean Sea. Together with other refugees, she is given shelter for the winter in a Swiss catholic monastery. While she waits for her fate to be decided by the Swiss authorities, Fortuna finds out she is pregnant. The choice she will have to make and the arrival of the refugees will give rise to concern within the religious community and will challenge their concept of Christian charity.

The loss of youth and innocence can be played for comedy or tragedy. The stunning black-and-white cinematography and hypnotic electric guitar that fill "Left Foot Right Foot", as portentous as they are beautiful, are a pretty clear indication which side of the coin photographer Germinal Roaux intends to focus on in his first feature.

Facing the massive interruption the world went through during the lockdown months, the artistic community did a lot of thinking, about solitude, emptiness, fear of illness and implicitly of the future, and the relationship with domestic space and technology. A group of Swiss film directors turned these themes into the shorts that became the national project known as Collection Lockdown by Swiss Filmmakers. The Locarno Film Festival is showing nine of these films on the big screen, showcasing the work of filmmakers who continued creating cinema to share their experience from during those days.