10.000 Km

Opening to a rather explicit sex scene, we are introduced to Alex and Sergi; a Spanish couple living in Barcelona. Continuing from that is a lengthy, yet stunning, 23 minute one-take-shot. During that elusively choreographed sequence they talk, wash and eat as we find out everything we need to know about the couple.

Alex, played by Natalia Tena (Harry Potter's Tonks), is a photographer who is struggling to find work locally, and her partner, Sergi (David Verdergauer) is a teacher. But there intimate relationship together suddenly gets shaky as Alex is offered a fully-paid working job in Los Angeles for one year… After some discussion, she accepts. However Sergi is unable to join her due to teaching commitments. This is where issues arise.

Now a continent apart (or more specifically 10,000km) their relationship is put to the test. Topical, as long distance relationships do not usually last, yet the characters are aware and highlight the pros and cons.

But the real intelligence of 10,000km comes from director Carlos Marques-Marcet. Absent of any other surroundings, the film is set in just merely two locations in Sergi's Barcelona flat and Alex's LA apartment.

Their relationship continues via Skype, WhatsApp and Google Earth. Hindered by technology, they attempt to remain sensitive and in love. But as days pass (chronicled on screen with titles; Day two, Day 88, Day 116 etc), it inevitably becomes difficult to continue. At one point Sergi demands 'Can we talk about something else that isn't our relationship?' – Isolated and gripping, 10,000km studies the bounds of romance like no film before it.

Marques-Marcet's feature debut film is ambitious as it is ingenious and it thrives on the narrative. Very worthy of the Best Foreign Film at next year's Academy Awards perhaps?

With pleasant cinematography and superb acting, 10,000km features the complications of a long-distance relationship that may appear as initially close, but which becomes increasingly stagnant and sour over time. Issues of couple's communication bubble up over time, and show how fast couples may deteriorate in their romance due, in part, to distance. The film is a dramatic portrayal of loss and of change, of the difficulties couples face when entering into a long-distance romance.

The effectiveness of this picture lies in the unsaid. It is testament to the actors who use body language to the fullest extent to convey their feelings, and down to the editor to put that across coherently.

It shows you how complex, emotional and downright daft we can be for these things we call relationships. The inward and outward dishonesty we have within this devout faith inside this human concept. A societal doctrine we all adhere to on the whole.

Time and distance are put up against love. People can believe or convince themselves that life is going perfectly fine but when you have space away from a situation, clarity of thought and feeling can prevail. When you are distanced from a situation, you can never truly feel connected to it, really.

The last 5 or so minutes are powerfully stated. Without as much as a single word, you understand exactly what both actors reluctantly agree upon. I put this work in the same vein as Blue Eyelids. Less is more type storytelling.

A couple in one of the greatest romances in recent years but separated in a long distance . It deals with two people in love , Alex (Natalia Tena) and Sergi (David Verdaguer) ; two flats - one in Barcelona and another on in L.A. - and the frames of their past , present and future . One year apart , with a continent between them , this couple must rely on modern technology to keep their relationship alive . The story tracks the two as they cling to their relationship by video chats , phone calls and email . This laptop-set story deals with a special romance in which video cameras capture everything , and the internet has turned into a cesspool of surveillance and communication . Can love survive 10,000km? .

"10.000 Km" follows the story of two young lovers , well portrayed by "Game of Thrones" and Harry Potter player Natalia Tena and David Verdaguer , as she leaves Barcelona for a year-long work opportunity in Los Angeles . This is a well-crafted and strikingly intimate film though monotonous about a separated couple in a long distance , as when you are oceans apart in love , you have to find creative ways to connect . We immediately see that the story is going to be told from some unorthodox perspectives as many scenes are broadcasting through a computer monitor . Despite its low budget the picture manages to be intelligent , but also a little bit boring and hard to follow . The good thing about this film is that the director made it on a limited budget only having to do a few sets , yet the movie works on many levels but is constantly reconfigured . This film had U.S. theatrical release , bowing it in the U.S. on 13 screens in 13 cities and was even presented to international distributors in Cannes . Carlos Marques-Marcet's long-distance love story "10,000 Km," relies heavily on moving romance supported by technological means such as e-mail , Google Earth , Skype , Facebook and WhatsApp . As the flick is set in just two places in Sergi's Barcelona flat and Alex's LA apartment . As Alex/Natalia Tena shows from her computer : photographs , streets , avenues and Hollywood boulevard . The main question results to be : Just how interconnected can one couple be while living oceans apart ? . The final result is an offbeat love story that's captivating , in spite of not being all that fun or especially thoughtful , neither thought-provoking . Interpretation by two actors is frankly good , David Verdaguer and Natalia Tena give reality their roles , the latter replaced Bárbara Lennie unavailable due to prior commitments . Tena and Verdaguer won the acting duo award at South by Southwest following the film's world premiere for their performances as a couple separated by 10,000 kilometers .

The movie , a Lastor Media Production in co-production with La Panda, was shot in Barcelona . Carlos Marques-Marcet directed from a script he co-wrote with Clara Roquet . The motion picture was innovative and originally directed by Carlos Marques-Marcet , even Broad Green Pictures acquired U.S. distribution and international sales rights from Visit Films for this love story "10.000 Km" . Here Carlos Marques adapts to the times and find a particular romance in the ways people are living today . Carlos Marques-Marcet is a fine editor and director , known for Shorts such as The Yellow Ribbon (2012) and I'll Be Alone (2010) , being his first film : It Felt Like Love (2013) , followed by this 10.000 Km (2014), and is shooting : 6 years (2015) .

I thought this was really quite dull overall. It's hardly an original story and I got quite bored mid way through. The characters are nice enough but it's pretty predictable and didn't really 'grab' me. I suppose the script is fairly decent, there are some fairly poignant pieces of dialogue, though there are other times when little is said at all and there's not much content there...I guess it could move some people, it is sad to see how things change but I didn't find it exactly surprising or anything. The performances are good but it's pretty slow, plot pace wise. If anything appealed to me about it, I'd say its the technology aspect - relying on the internet, Google street view, photos etc. For her to convey what she's seeing and doing, is interesting. I suppose after the COVID19 lockdowns, people have been forced to rely on technology to stay in touch with others. I didn't mind that part of the story but I wouldn't say this film is primarily about the power or ability of technology to maintain a relationship alone. It's only a part of it, if that makes any sense. It's thoughtful but I think it's a bit too sparse for my liking really. I imagine some may regard it as quietly devastating but I'm not sure I really felt that, personally. I can see what they were getting at though.

Overall I wouldn't recommend it as such, no.