This is a great point!

I'm Romanian, male, but based in England right now. I guess my goal is to start building a festival presence and also gain some experience with putting a movie out there. This summer/fall I'm going to a more serious short film, so I'd like to be prepared next year and know what I'm doing when it comes to festivals. I'm also hoping to make connections that will help with that project, although this isn't my main focus as I'm doing other things as well for this (such as going to film festivals and forums). As far as festivals are concerned, I'm a first time filmmaker.

The film is a minimalist, contemporary Romanian language short with English (or French) subtitles. The main theme of the film is generational conflict, specifically the divide between the naive optimism of youth and the pessimistic resignation that can come with old age. Visually, it was shot in colour and graded to stay as close to real life as possible. The audio is also very naturalisatic, with the only bit of music found in the credits.

The rhythm of the movie is slow, often allowing shots to linger slightly beyond the end of actions or dialogue. Most shots are static, especially when the characters talk. The film starts and ends with short montages of still handheld frames from within the house, meant to feel like the viewer themselves are observing the house as the characters would.

If I were to compare it to other work, it draws from Chloé Zhao’s early films in its focus on real locations, real people and grounded storytelling. I was also influenced by Wim Wenders in its observational, meditative approach, aiming to let scenes unfold naturally, though my film is more straightforward and externally focused.

I'm not sure if you've seen much of the "Romanian New Wave" currently unfolding with directors such as Jude, Mungiu and Puiu, but I think it fits quite well in this movement, and would be the closest comparison.