Islands - IFFDAY

Official selection

Tennis coach Tom leads a bland, repetitive life at a paradise-like resort in the Canary Islands. He constantly shuttles between the scorching tennis courts and hedonistic nightclubs, often battling hangovers. Then, his routine takes a subtle turn when couple Anne and Dave appear, creating a delicate crack in his mundane life. As he gradually gets drawn into their disputes, he falls into an emotional mire, infected by a fascinating unease, almost as if he′s crash-landed in a Patricia Highsmith thriller. Disappearances and fatal temptations are, of course, essential. Director Jan-Ole Gerster, who ironically depicted a young man aimlessly wandering Berlin in his debut film Oh Boy (2012), now presents the irresponsible middle-aged Tom. Tom secretly desires a change in his life but finds it difficult to act. As he continually makes excuses and tries to run from his own path, he eventually faces a crossroads. Sam Riley, the actor who portrayed a passionate, free-spirited artist in Control (2007) and On the Road (2012), once again leaves a strong impression as Tom, whose face now bears the marks of time.

Programme note by JUN Jonghyuk