La distance entre le ciel et nous

Simple, direct and moving. Beautiful cinematography, brief but intense.

The Distance Between Us and the Sky, is a masterful short film that captures an intimate nighttime encounter between two strangers at a desolate gas station, blending tension, vulnerability, and flirtation into a poetic nine-minute narrative. Winner of the Palme d'Or for Best Short Film at Cannes in 2019, it pairs minimalist storytelling with evocative cinematography, using neon-lit visuals and subtle sound design to heighten the connection between the characters. Through compelling performances by Nikos Zeginoglou and Ioko Ioannis Kotidis, the film explores themes of human connection, longing, and the fleeting nature of chance encounters, leaving a profound emotional impact while proving that even the smallest stories can carry immense depth.

The first temptation is to define it as adaptation of a play. In fact, obvious, it is a festival film. The craft of emotions, the dialogue, the tension, the lovebirds , the location are good clues for the desire to impress a jury with poetry of ugly demonstration. And it works in fine manner. A simple story on a gas station. An inspired title. Decent acting. And comfortable end. Difficult to appreciate it as good or bad, because the personal taste is only tool for give a verdict. For me, a nice try. F.

Vasilis Kekatos created such a wonderful short film, full of emotion and aesthetically pleasing shots. I hadn't watched anything this beautiful for a while.