MONARCH | TIFF

MONARCH

17.06.2022 18:10
Data: 
Vineri, 17 Iunie, 2022 - 18:00

Director: Radu Mihai

Country: Romania

Producer: Livia Rădulescu

Production company: Dash Film

A young man has a super-power: he can block electrical circuits. But his own power risks to overpower him, as everyone else secretly protects him.

Synopsis:

The film tells the story of a young man, Bogdan, aged 35, who can paralyze the electrical circuits and interrupt their operation. The phenomenon is generated by a large amount of copper present in Bogdan’s blood and is activated in amplified emotional states. Apparently, he is aware of some anomalies, but has always linked them with a heart condition he was told of in childhood. Bogdan works in the radio station of a hypermarket, making recordings about the latest promotions. His job, but also his long-term relationship with Laura, lacks suspense. One day, the entire hypermarket has a power blackout. After a series of similar quirky events, including a strange phone call from Laura that leads Bogdan to believe she has left him, he decides to leave for his hometown. During a mysterious road-trip, he meets several people, including a strange woman that keeps reappearing. Little by little, Bogdan discovers that it is possible that all the people around him (parents, girlfriends, friends) had as their main mission to protect him. Bogdan eventually reaches The Lavender Veranda. It is a bed&breakfast with a large lavender field that belongs to Bogdan’s childhood friend, Florin. Soon Bogdan realizes that Florin is under house arrest, and he has an electronic bracelet that prevents him from leaving the house. He is also doing a VR rehab program, with an avatar he talks to every day, a therapist. Later, Florin discovers that the bracelet doesn’t when Bogdan is close. He’s very happy to have a chance to briefly escape. It reminds Bogdan of their childhood speculations about superpowers. They decide to go in a near village at a fair: Bogdan, Florin, his wife Ioana, and their two kids. At the fair there’s a little incident and one of the kids gets lost. Florin is trying to run after the kid to find him, but as he is getting away from Bogdan the bracelet is reactivated. They decide to run and Bogdan and Florin pedal angrily on the road. In an elated state and after being provoked by Bogdan, Florin confesses everything to him, that he knew from an early age about his power, and that most people in his life were involved in this. A car is approaching, the strange woman signals them to stop. Bogdan gets angry and the car next to him stops. On the wires on the side of the road there is a voltaic arc, the lights go out in the distance to the houses. Florin begs him to stop. But to no avail. Later, Bogdan is in a room with the strange woman who, in fact, is a police Investigator. He asks her to release his friend. She tells him that she agrees if Bogdan stays in his hometown, where he can have the chance to calm down. Bogdan asks if he can see Laura. In a virtual room are the avatars of Bogdan, Florin, Ioana, Laura and the Investigator. It seems like a kind of group therapy or control session is about to begin.

Director: Radu Mihai

After 10 years spent in advertising and publishing, Radu took a leap of faith and became a film director. Since then he directed several short films and commercials. His short films were selected in more than 20 International Festivals, including Clermont-Ferrand, Vila do Conde, Busan, Vilnius, Cairo and others. Now he is developing his first feature film.

 

 

Producer: Livia Rădulescu

Livia came into film production in 2016 from a background of ten years of management roles in social entrepreneurship, creative industries, and 21 cultural management. As development producer, executive producer, Livia produced features and shorts including “Balaur” (2021, dir: Octav Chelaru - Thessaloniki IFF, Transylvania IFF, prod: deFilm, 42Film, EED), “The Story of a Summer Lover” (2018, dir: Paul Negoescu – PÖFF, prod: N-Graphix), “Balck Clothes” (2017, dir: Octav Chelaru, Locarno IFF, prod: deFilm). Across her roles, she enjoys bringing her varied interests and background into her passion for film and the arts. She graduated in Economics and has a Masters degree at the London School of Economics in 2008.

Company profile

Dash Film is a film production company established in 2010, devoted to independent and emerging films, searching for new ways to satisfy the appetite for cinema of its founders. Our mission is to create a strong bond between our passion for cinema and the stories that burst in reality