5pm Seaside
Nikos sits and waits in his pick-up truck at the edge of a remote beach on his 40th birthday. Like every year, his mother calls and tells him about his birth. The weather is rough. In the distance Nikos finally sees Christos approaching, his old friend from military days. This is the very first time they see each other again after many years. Today Christos will fulfill Nikos' dangerous wish. The powerfully structured imagery of 5pm Seaside derives further strength from its minimalism, vibrating with intensity and beauty. Two people leave the safe space of their self-chosen isolation to encounter one another, consciously approaching a collision with life and death. Between violence and absolute tenderness, a moment of transformative liberation is realized that redefines everything. Simply to exist. This is otherwise almost impossible to realize.
(Diagonale catalogue 2022, Alexandra Zawia)
Translation: Eve Heller
First Steps Award für Mittelangen Spielfilm 2022 - Jurybegründung / Award for Medium Length Feature - Jury Statement (Award)
5pm Seaside von Valentin Stejskal
First Steps Award 2022 - Preis für Mittelangen Spielfilm - Jurybegründung
First Steps Award 2022 - Preis for Medium Length Feature - Jury statement
Die raue See Griechenlands, zwei kernige, wortkarge Männer und die sinnliche Tragik einer Nahtoderfahrung: Nach vielen Jahren sehen sich die ehemaligen Militärkameraden Nikos und Christos an einem ‚Unort‘ wieder, der wenig romantisch, aber der richtige Ort für die besondere Begegnung ist. 5PM SEASIDE ist eine Geschichte, die uns zunächst auf wunderbare Weise vollkommen über die Beziehung der beiden im Unklaren lässt. Die Zeit rauscht am Geschehen vorbei wie die Wellen im Meer. Und erst in der Retrospektive versteht sich ihre subtil gespielte, aber maximal durchdringende Nähe. Valentin Stejskal schafft es, die richtigen Momente auszuklammern und uns mit seiner sanften, zurückgenommenen Erzählweise gänzlich in die Gefühlswelt seiner Figuren eintauchen zu lassen. Seine Inszenierung vermittelt die unendliche Schwierigkeit, Gefühle füreinander zu zeigen, und blättert nach und nach das konventionelle Bild von Männlichkeit auf. Eine entschiedene, persönliche Handschrift, die uns vor allem tragisch poetische Bilder schenkt.
The rough seas of Greece, two gritty, taciturn men, and the sensual tragedy of a near-death experience: after many years, former military comrades Nikos and Christos meet again in an 'unlocation' that is less than romantic, but the right place for their special encounter. 5PM SEASIDE is a story that at first keeps us completely in the dark about their relationship in a wonderful way. Time rushes past the action like the waves in the sea. And it is only in retrospective that we understand their subtly played but maximally penetrating closeness. Valentin Stejskal manages to leave out the right moments and to let us immerse ourselves entirely in the emotional world of his characters with his gentle, withdrawn narrative style. His production conveys the infinite difficulty of showing feelings for each other, gradually peeling away the conventional image of masculinity. A decidedly personal signature that gives us, above all, tragically poetic images.
5pm Seaside
2022
Greece, Austria
26 min