MoMA presents 'Constantin & Elena' |
Constantin and Elena by Andrei Dascalescu will have its U.S. premiere at the 2010 edition of the prestigious Documentary Fortnight, the Musem of Modern Art (MoMA)'s annual showcase of nonfiction film and video.
With RCINY support, young director Andrei Dascalescu will participate to the screenings and the accompanying Q&A sessions of his film on February 25 & 26.
Synopsis
In a Romanian village, an elderly couple has been happily married for almost 55 years. Constantin and Elena know that life must end, but are happy with everything that they've had. They fill their days with chores in and around the house, going to church and receiving welcome visitors, not to mention a catnap every now and then. Everything that these two old lovebirds do, they do slowly: from helping each other get dressed and climb ladders to weaving beautiful tapestries. Often they sing old Romanian songs at the top of their voices, or Constantin's old battle songs from his army days. Constantin and Elena aren't afraid of death, and discuss it in a practical way. They're proud of what they're leaving behind and happy with their love. But they do think it's unfortunate that they have so little time left together. As Constantin puts it, "With one eye I cry, with the other, I laugh." Director Andrei Dascalescu spent a year following this loving couple. His camera films each scene from a different position. It never pans or zooms in, and there's no voice-over or interviews. This love story tells itself in images, and the filmmaker, also the couple's grandson, keeps himself invisible.
| THU, February 25, 2010, 4:30 pm
FRI, February 26, 2010, 7 pm
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MoMA)
11 West 53 Street
New York, NY 10019
More about the film |
