Wednesday at PÖFF is dedicated to men. Men who must be heroes in all their fragility, endure feelings that would be much easier to swallow, and find solutions that are nowhere in sight. Today's films reveal what it means to be a real man in a world that expects so much and understands so little. This is a day for men to feel in movie theaters that they are not alone in their confusion.
The first films of the day focus on men who are searching for redemption in being themselves. The Muralist takes the viewer to Mongolia, where a mural painter who has left his family behind now tries to fix with a paintbrush what he couldn't fix with words.
A Summer Tale, on the other hand, takes place in Buenos Aires and tells a humorous story about a man who, after suffering a heart attack, discovers that promising to be a better husband and father is much easier than actually doing it.
These films are followed by wild stories about men who lost their moral compass somewhere in the past. Interior opens up a voyeuristic world where the otherwise modest Kasimir spends his days sneaking into strangers' homes for a purpose far more dangerous than mere curiosity. Versalles, in turn, races full speed ahead into the madness of grandiosity with the story of a failed politician who decides that if democracy doesn't want him, then surely the kingdom does. Once he has lost touch with reality, all he needs is a crown, a castle, a court, and servants.
In the second half of the evening, masculinity is put to the test with honest humor on the sports field, amid Egyptian retro vibes and the romantic chaos of an Estonian manor. Becoming delves into the life of a young swimmer, and questions the coaches' methods and their self-confidence. The Stories is a tragicomedy that unfolds against the backdrop of political tensions and cultural dreams in Egypt, following a pianist who is looking for a way to escape the shackles of his hometown through art. Meanwhile, Therapy takes the audience on a journey filled with healthy humor to an Estonian manor house, where Finnish couples gather to try to repair their relationships, while the therapists themselves are going through an even more confusing phase in their own relationships.
See all the films screening at PÖFF today here!
Nov. 19, Wednesday at 18:00 at Apollo Kino Plazas
World premiere with filmmakers
Dir: S. Janchivdorj; Country: Mongolia
Exiled painter Bayaraa returns to Mongolia to create a mural that embodies both regret and longing. After winning last year's grand prix with the film Silent City Driver, director Sengedorj Janchivdorj explores in The Muralist the magnitude of a man's responsibility for his choices and his loved ones.
Nov. 19, Wednesday at 19:00 at Apollo Kino Plazas
World premiere with filmmakers
Dir: M. Szulanski; country: Argentina
After suffering a heart attack, Buenos Aires hustler Jorge tries to convince himself and others that there might be "a good man" inside him. He tries to win back his daughter's trust, even though his old habits keep pulling him back. Director Matías Szulanski follows this chaotic journey with sharp humor and gripping honesty.
Nov. 19, Wednesday at 19:15 at Kino Sõprus
Director: P. Schuh; Country: Germany
Kasimir breaks into strangers' homes at night using a secret compartment in his sofa and secretly films people's lives, without even knowing why he is doing it. Interior intertwines the intimacy, danger, and strange compassion of this restless observation, creating an atmosphere that is both compelling and deeply uncomfortable. The result is a disturbingly intimate and stylistically powerful film.
Nov. 19, Wednesday at 19:30 at Apollo Cinema in Solaris
Director: A. Clariond; Country: Mexico
After a failed presidential campaign, politician Chema retreats to a hacienda in the countryside, where he and his wife proclaim themselves king and queen. Through sharp satire, Versalles depicts how the lust for power and wounded egos creates their own world order, where rituals, ceremonies, and punishments become as insane as the rulers themselves.
Nov. 19, Wednesday at 21:15 at Apollo Kino Plazas
Estonian premiere with filmmakers
Dir: Z. Alshanova; Countries: France, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Lithuania, and Sweden
Talented swimmer Mila falls under the influence of coach Vlad, whose harsh methods, authority, and suspicious stories about doping shape the girls' training more than they would like to admit. Vlad's control, pressure, and personal convictions become a test for Mila, confronting her with both masculine power and her own limits.
Nov. 19, Wednesday at 21:30 at Apollo Cinema in Solaris
Director: A. B. Shawky; Countries: Austria, France, Belgium, Egypt, Sweden
Stubborn pianist Ahmed tries to escape from Nasser's Cairo to Vienna, but discovers that his dreams are not enough when the world around him is full of political tension, family expectations, and cultural misunderstandings. The Stories recounts this journey with light humor and retro energy, bringing to the screen the story of a man who tries to use music to escape a place that loves him as much as it restricts him.
Therapy
Nov. 19, Wednesday at 21:45 at Kino Sõprus
Director: P. Westerberg; Countries: Finland and Estonia
A group of couples arrives at an Estonian manor, their relationships as broken as the manor's freshly repaired walls, including men who are trying to understand why love never seems to keep pace with them. Therapy humorously and painfully depicts how men try to maintain relationships that they themselves do not always understand, but which are even more difficult to give up.