EnglishFestivals - Gerardmer 2023 : Feature films in competition
By Mulder, 05 january 2023
"Every year, the competition rivals the world of imagination and horror. This edition is no exception, even if the filmmakers sometimes embellish reality with a touch of strangeness or a poetic nuance, no doubt believing that there is enough blood in the world... "Bruno Barde
The films in competition were unveiled this morning :
Blood (USA) (Opening film)
Directed by Brad Anderson
Produced by Terry Dougas, Billy Hines, Paris Kassidokostas-Latsis, Gary Levinsohn
Written by Will Honley
Starring Michelle Monaghan, Skeet Ulrich
Music by Matthew Rogers
Cinematography : Björn Charpentier
Edited by Robert Mead
Production companies : Hercules Film Fund, H2L Media Group, Rhea Films
Distributed by Farpoint Films (United States)
Release date : January 12, 2023 (United State)
Running time : 108 minutes
Synopsis : After a complicated divorce, Jesse settles with his daughter and young son Owen in an old farmhouse. Soon after, Owen is bitten violently by a dog. In the hospital, he wakes up with a strange thirst for blood. His mother will do anything to provide it to him and keep him alive.
The mountain (La Montagne) (France)
Directed by Thomas Salvador
Produced by Julie Salvador
Written by Thomas Salvador, Naïla Guiguet
Starring Thomas Salvador, Louise Bourgoin, Martine Chevallier, Laurent Poitrenaux, Andranic Manet, Sylvain Frendo, Catherine Lefroid, Lucie Vadot, Alexandre Marchesseau, Adam Pouilhe
Music by Chloé Thévenin
Cinematography : Alexis Kavyrchine
Edited by Mathilde Muyard
Production companies :
Distributed by Le Pacte (France)
Release date : F ebruary 1, 2023 (France)
Running time : 115 minutes
Synopsis : Pierre, a Parisian engineer, goes up in the Alps for his work. Irresistibly attracted by what surrounds him, he camps out alone high in the mountains and leaves behind his everyday life. Up there, he meets Léa while mysterious glows glitter in the deep mountains.
La pietà (Spain & Argentina)
Directed by Eduardo Casanova
Produced by Alex de la Iglesia, Carolina Bang, Florencia Franco, Jimena Monteoliva
Written by Eduardo Casanova
Starring Ángela Molina, Manuel Llunell, Ana Polvorosa, Macarena Gómez, Daniel Freire, Antonio Durán, María León, Alberto Jo Lee, Meteora Fontana, Songa Park
Music by Pedro Onetto
Cinematography : Luis Ángel Pérez
Edited by Ángel Pazos
Production companies : Film Factory Entertainment
Distributed by NC
Release date : NC
Running time : 84 minutes
Synopsis : Lili and Mateo are mother and son who have a profound relationship of mutual dependence. They indulge in their suffocating reality until one of them is diagnosed with a fatal illness. The mere idea of separation causes them to develop their darkest and most toxic version of themselves.
The Tower (La tour) (France)
Written and directed by Guillaume Nicloux
Produced by Sylvie Pialat & Bruno Nahon
Starring Angèle Mac, Hatik, Ahmed Abdel-Laoui, Kylian Larmonie, Merveille Nsombi, Nicolas Pignon, Igor Kovalsky, Marie Rémond, Judith Williquet, Modeste Nzapassara, Coline Béal, Kévin Bago
Music by Tim Hecker
Cinematography : Christophe Offenstein
Edited by Guy Lecorne
Production companies : Les Films du Worso, UNITÉ
Distributed by Wild Bunch
Release date : February 8 2023 (France)
Running time : 90 minutes Release date :
Synopsis : In the heart of a city, the inhabitants of a high-rise apartment building wake up one morning to discover that their building is enveloped in an opaque fog, blocking doors and windows - a strange black matter that devours anything that tries to pass through it. Trapped, the inhabitants try to organize themselves, but to ensure their survival, they gradually succumb to their most primitive instincts, until they sink into horror...
Our review : https://mulderville.net/en/reviews/6049/la-tour / https://mulderville.net/fr/critiques/6049/la-tour
Memory of water (Veden vartija) (Finland, Germany, Estonia & Norway)
Directed by Saara Saarela
Produced by Misha Jaari, Mark Lwoff
Written by Ilja Rautsi
Based on the novel by Emmi Itäranta
Starring Saga Sarkola, Mimosa Willamo, Lauri Tilkanen, Minna Haapkylä, Pekka Strang, Kheba Touray
Music by Volker Bertelmann
Cinematography : Kjell Lagerroos
Edited by Jussi Rautaniemi
Production companies :
Distributed by NC
Release date : NC
Running time : 100 minutes
Synopsis : In a waterless world of the future, Noria becomes the village’s Tea Master following the traditions of her deceased father and inheriting a secret truth that has been hidden for a long time. The young woman must wield her quiet strength as a compass along a dangerous journey for her people’s survival.
Piaffe (Germany)
Directed by Ann Oren
Produced by Kristof Gerega, Sophie Ahrens, Fabian Altenried
Written by Ann Oren & Thais Guisasola
Starring Simone Bucio, Sebastian Rudolph, Simon(e) Jaikiriuma Paetau, Bjørn Melhus, Sarah Nevada Grether, Lea Draeger
Music by Munsha, äbvsd, VTSS
Cinematography : Carlos Vasquez
Edited by Ann Oren, Haim Tabakman
Production companies : NC
Distributed by
Release date : NC
Running time : 86 minutes
Synopsis : The introvert foley artist Eva struggles to create sounds for a commercial featuring a horse. Empowered by a horsetail growing out of her body, she lures a botanist into an affair, through a game of submission.
The nocebo effect (Ireland, Philippines, UK & USA)
Directed by Lorcan Finnegan
Produced by Brunella Cocchiglia, Emily Leo
Written by Garret Shanley
Starring Eva Green, Mark Strong, Chai Fonacier, Billie Gadsdon, Cathy Belton
Music by Jose Buencamino
Cinematography : Jacub Kijowski, Radek Ladczuk
Edited by Tony Cranstoun
Production companies :
Distributed by TheJokers Films (France)
Release date : NC
Running time : NC
Synopsis : A fashion designer is suddenly struck by a mysterious illness that disconcerts her doctors and upsets her husband. But the arrival of a Filipino nurse, devoted to traditional local medicine, reveals the terrifying origin of the illness that strikes her.
Watcher
Written and directed by Chloe Okuno
Produced by Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Derek Dauchy, Mason Novick, John Finemore, Aaron Kaplan, Sean Perrone
Based on The original screenplay by Zack Ford
Starring Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Burn Gorman
Music by Nathan Halpern
Cinematography: Benjamin Kirk Nielsen
Edited by Michael Block
Production companies : Image Nation Abu Dhabi, AGC International, Spooky Pictures
Distributed by IFC Midnight, Shudder (North America), Universal Pictures, Focus Features (International)
Release date : January 22, 2022 (Sundance), June 3, 2022 (United States),
Running time : 96 minutes
Synopsis : Julia and her Romanian-born husband move from the United States to Bucharest, where he has found a new job. Having recently given up her acting career, Julia often finds herself alone in her large apartment and tries to take care of herself as best she can. One night, as she looks out the window of the building across the street, she sees a figure who seems to be looking back at her...
Our review : https://mulderville.net/fr/critiques/6037/watcher / https://mulderville.net/en/reviews/6037/watcher
Zeria (Belgium)
Directed by Harry Cleven
Produced by Benjamin Stiénon
Written by Harry Cleven
Starring Johan Leysen
Music by Dimitri Copper, George Alexander van Dam, Manu Sampaio
Cinematography : Alexi Van Hennecker
Edited by Harry Cleven
Production companies : Popiul
Distributed by NC
Release date : NC
Running time : 61 minutes
Synopsis : Gaspard is the last man on Earth. Zeria, his grandson, is the first humain to be born on Mars. Gaspard tells him about his life, his fears, his loves… in the hope that Zeria will come to see him before he dies… Zeria would be the first human being to return to Earth without having ever known it…
(source : press release)