“The Thriller That Holds Your Breath” – from the 23rd of July in cinemas
The Father Who Moves Mountains, Daniel Sandu’s second feature film, had its world premiere in the Official Competition of the 24th Shanghai Film Festival in China on the 12th of June. The Hollywood Reporter, one of the most prestigious international film publications, reviewed only two films in the selection, one of them being The Father Who Moves Mountains which was praised as “an adventure film with its heart in the modern tradition of Romanian film drama, it should appeal to a larger audience than pure art house fans”.
Romanian audiences, lovers of auteur films but especially fans of American genre films, will have the opportunity to see the production filmed in 4K, premiering on big screens across the country starting on the 23rd of July.
“Sandu’s talent was heralded in his 2017 multi-award-winning debut feature, One Step Behind the Seraphim, which explored the harrowing experiences of a young priest in an Orthodox religious seminary. In The Father Who Moves Mountains, the focus is again on the inner conflicts of fully drawn dramatic characters” observes The Hollywood Reporter, adding “its edgy story about an aging man of action confronting a mountain disaster and plunging headlong into a dangerous rescue operation ought to attract adventure lovers, aided by the initially breathless pace.”
A man ready to start a new phase in his life with a younger woman is violently thrown back into the context of the life he is trying to leave behind when his teenage son disappears on a mountain hike.
“Almost imperceptibly, the story changes course, veering from a straightforward rescue drama to an inner journey testing the courage and determination of all concerned. The lengths to which Mircea is willing to go to find his son puts his own motivations into question. Guilt? Obsession? Ego? Stage thesp Titieni (who played memorably conflicted dads in Calin Peter Netzer’s Child’s Pose and in Mungiu’s own Graduation) creates a portrait of compulsion that is almost monstrous at times, challenging our conventional ideas about paternal bonds and their moral outer limits, all the way to the rigorous ending.”
Next to Adrian Titieni, Daniel Sandu “directs an excellent supporting cast” among whom: Valeriu Andriuță (Beyond The Hills), Judith State (Sieranevada), Tudor Smoleanu (Graduation), Elena Purea and Radu Botar (The Cardinal), “whose viewpoints change over time and gives each of them a moment of truth”
Shooting took place “while the crew waited for blizzards and avalanche opportunities. Tudor Vladimir Panduru, who was the cinematographer on Graduation, captures some dazzling shots of the Carpathian mountain range, using the omnipresent snow to whiteout Mircea’s surroundings as his inner voyage proceeds”.
The Father Who Moves Mountains is produced by Mobra Films in association with Filmgate Films, Film i Vast, Mindset Productions, Studioul Cinematografic al Ministerului Culturii, with the support of the Romanian National Film Centre, TVR – Romanian Television, co-funded by the Creative Europe Media Programme of the European Union. The film will premiere in Romanian theaters on the 23rd of July and is distributed by Voodoo Films. Screening schedules will be available soon on voodoofilms.ro.
More information on:
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