Country: Romania
Year: 2023
Duration: 15'
In a remote Romanian village, two sisters, Liliana and Mihaela, are raised by their strict and devout grandmother, Elena. As Liliana reaches the age of marriage, Elena pressures her into a union with a local boy, a decision that stirs conflict within the family. Mihaela, fearing the loss of her sister—the one person she feels truly close to—grows increasingly resentful. The tension between the sisters escalates into a heated argument, leaving Mihaela overwhelmed and in need of guidance. Seeking solace, she turns to the village priest, her only source of comfort in an oppressive and uncertain world.
Biography
film director
Octavian Saramet
(Romanian) is a film director and an editor. With a strong background in theatre, he decided to pursue a career in filmmaking. As a film editor, he has worked on several short films, including one that was nominated for Best Short Film at the Transylvania International Film Festival. His graduation short film Samodiva was selected for the Short Film Market picks at Clermont Ferrand International Film Festival. His master degree short documentary, Thy Will Be Done, premiered at Astra Film Festival in 2023.
FILMOGRAFIA
Samodiva (cm, 2021), Fă-se voia Ta (Thy Will Be Done, cm, doc, 2023), The Other Cheek (cm, doc, 2024), Bine (cm, 2024).
Declaration
film director
“Sexual education is too little addressed in Romania, especially in rural areas. Through the film I am promoting, I propose a symbiosis between faith and intimacy, on one hand, physical intimacy, and on the other, spiritual intimacy. The family situation in the film is not exemplary: the parents have abandoned their children and left them in the care of grandparents, relatives, friends, or alone because they went abroad to work, were not prepared to be parents, or perhaps they separated and left them to their own devices. This method also generates a conflict between generations because the elderly adapt much more slowly to the current times, having different life concepts due to the times they lived in. Thus, the clerical robe takes the form of a hiding place, a shield of confession where there is no prejudice, only help.”
Cast
& Credits
DIRECTOR, SCREENPLAY: Octavian Şaramet. CINEMATOGRAPHER: Crînguța Pînzaru. EDITING: Mircea Lăcătuș. SOUND: Alexandru Popa. CAST: Tatiana Ionesi, Anamaria Rusu, Sorana Eșanu, Marcel Focşan. PRODUCTION: Mara Cracaleanu for Melancholia Pictures.
CONTACT: Mara Cracaleanu mara.cracaleanu@gmail.com
