4:15 P.M. THE END OF THE WORLD (2016) – drama film online

Directed by: Gabi Virginia Șarga, Cătălin Rotaru
Cast: Alexandru Suciu, Elias Ferkin
Script by: Gabi Virginia Șarga, Cătălin Rotaru
Producer: Adina Sădeanu, Alexandru Crăciun
Cinematography: Tudor Platon
Edited by: Andrei Iancu
Sound: Ștefan Azaharioaie
Year: 2016
Category: Short film
Genre: Drama
Duration: 15m

7,997 – Cinepub viewers

PLOT SUMMARY

A courier picks up a hitchhiker on the side of the road. When the hitchhiker says the end of the world is near, the courier thinks he’s crazy. What he doesn’t know is that the encounter will change his life fundamentally.

FESTIVALS:

• 2016 – Sarajevo Film Festival, Bosnia & Herzegovina – Special Mention of the Jury
• 2016 – B-EST Shorts Film Festival, Timișoara, Romania – Special Mention of the Jury
• 2016 – International Film Festival TOFIFEST, Torun, Poland – Golden Angel Award
• 2016 – UK Film Festival, London, United Kingdom – Edgeware Grand Prix for Best Short Film
• 2016 – Indie Festival of Independent Film Producers, Bucharest, Romania – Special Mention of the Jury
• 2017 – GOPO Awards, Bucharest, Romania – Best Short Film Award
• 2017 – Nashville Film Festival, USA – Narrative Short Film Audience Award

CRITICAL REVIEWS:

“If acting awards were given out in the short film competition, Elias Ferkin should win. He plays from the eyes and finds the ideal dose of compassion, love, understanding plus a pinch of irony for the human condition that we assume Jesus has (…). The movie is like a diamond whose sides are almost infinite.” – hotnews.ro

The story imagined by Gabi Șarga and Cătălin Rotaru is on the borderline between the real and the fantastic, which could have been deliciously intriguing if the intention had been clearly assumed. Elena Călinoiu, cinepub.ro

„(…) a road that reminds, especially in the first frame of the movie, of Kiarostami’s beloved Iranian roads, beautifully filmed here by Tudor Platon (…)” – Elena Călinoiu, cinepub.ro

“We all want gentleness. From us, from others, from governments, from TV, from movies, from God. We all wish we could be in Dan’s place, if the world really would end in 15 minutes. We’d forgive, we’d say. We would be kind, we would say. Food for Thought.” – Elena Călinoiu, cinepub.ro

TRIVIA:

• The two directors graduated in Acting at UNATC Bucharest, worked as scriptwriters for several TV series made by Romanian TV channels (Pro TV, Antena1, PrimaTV, Kanal D), directed and collaborated in the staging of plays on the stages of Bucharest. They took the step towards the movie with the idea of this short film.
• Filming took place over a period of four days between Hagiești and Măriuca, in Ialomita county.
• About the intention behind the movie, Gabi Șarga and Cătălin Rotaru say: “We wanted to tell the story of a meeting in the context of a limit-situation: the imminent end of the world. What we found challenging in this movie was to show the unseen, to make it visible”.
• In their vision, the viewer is an active participant in any cinematic work, completing the film, entering into dialog and making their own story. “We tried to free the viewer to find his own answer…” (Gabi Șarga and Cătălin Rotaru)
• As for the choice of actors, the directors say that Elias Ferkin’s “innocence and capacity to be pained by the suffering of others” were the qualities that recommended him for the role. But all this was enhanced by Alexandru Suciu. “Alexandru is an extraordinary actor. We have worked with him before and wrote the role especially for him. Elias and Alexandru were a pleasure to work with. They understood our vision and then took it on board,” say the two directors.
• Elias Ferkin confesses that the most challenging element from an acting point of view was the ambiguity of the character, and that the assumption of the character came after rehearsals with the directors. “The character’s costume (…) helps me while I’m filming to forget everything about my home life. With the character in this movie, that burgundy hoodie makes all the difference. It made me feel like I was wearing a prophet’s garment.” (E.F.)
• Producer Alex Tudor Craciun, one of the founders of the Ileana Foundation and Flama Booking production company, says: “The night we heard the news that we had been selected for Cannes, we got together to celebrate. Looking at us I realized that, in a way, we are almost all at the beginning of our journey – it’s the first film directed by Gabi and Cătălin, the first film produced by us. In a way, I can say that we lost our virginity… and we made it to Cannes”.

LINES:

• “What if they take my license? (…) Okay, I’ll be there in an hour.” – Dan (Alexandru Suciu)
• “I m not the one who fixed it.” – Jesus (Elias Ferkin)
• “I’m late. I have to deliver a message.” – Jesus (Elias Ferkin)
• “You’re a delivery man too? Do they pay you well?” – Dan (Alexandru Suciu)
• “I have been chosen.” – Jesus (Elias Ferkin)
• “The end of the world is coming.” – Jesus (Elias Ferkin)
• “I am Jesus Christ.” – Jesus (Elias Ferkin)
• “I am the son of God. I can read your mind.” – Jesus (Elias Ferkin)
• “Did the guys at the firm ask you to make fun of me?” – Dan (Alexandru Suciu)
• “Ioana, your little girl. She was raped and murdered 397 days ago.” – Jesus (Elias Ferkin)
• “What does he look like? Young, huh? Like you. And brunette. They found a black hair inside.” – Dan (Alexandru Suciu)
• “You must forgive him.” – Jesus (Elias Ferkin)
• “And turn the other cheek.” – Dan (Alexandru Suciu)

ARTICLES:

• 4:15 P.M. The End of the World – tiff.ro
• Romanian short films “4:15 P.M. The End of the World” and “All Rivers Flow in the Sea” selected at Cannes 2016 – adevarul.ro
• Romanian short film “4:15 P.M. ‘The End of the World’ in the running for Palme d’Or, supported by Minister of Culture – adevarul.ro
• Romanian short film “4:15 p.m. The End of the World”, honorable mention at Tofifest 2016 – agerpres.ro
• 4:15 P.M. The End of the World, in the running for the Palme d’Or – cinefan.ro
• Romanian short film “4:15 P.M.. The End of the World” shines at Cannes – projesus.ro

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