Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema - To the North

Part of the 17th Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema Festival.

During his shift on a transatlantic ship’s deck, a religious Filipino sailor (Soliman Cruz, in a standout role) discovers a Romanian stowaway hidden between containers and decides to keep him safe from being thrown overboard by the Taiwanese officers running the vessel. A dangerous cat and mouse game begins as, little by little, his crew and friends, and even God itself turn their back on this Good Samaritan, closing the net tight and leaving him to face his cruel destiny alone. Loosely based on the 1996 Maersk Dubai incident and showing impressive camerawork and soundscape that add to the oppressive and heightened mood of this slow burn thriller, Mincan’s taut debut about moral choices takes an act of kindness and throws it into the Devil’s hands, with devastating consequences.

Making Waves 17 is presented by Insula 42, in partnership with Metrograph, Roxy Cinema New York, DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema and Film Forum. With lead funding from the Trust for Mutual Understanding and the support of Dacin Sara, the Romanian Filmmakers Union, Blue Heron Foundation, Mastercard, the Romanian National Film Center, and individual donors.