VERDICT: Ilinca H?rnu? gives a captivating performance in Carina Gabriela Da?oveanu’s restrained but perceptive drama about a taxi driver longing for romance amidst a faltering marriage.
The knotty complexities of relationships seem to shimmer in the eyes of Ilinca H?rnu?, the compelling lead actress in Carina Gabriela Da?oveanu’s delicately composed short Love Stories on the Move. Structured around three fares undertaken by a taxi driver, Lili (H?rnu?), the film weaves together various illustrations of love, care, or affection, all while Lili struggles with the strained atmosphere of her home life with Dani (Andi Vasluianu), where ardour seems to have cooled beyond hope.
In her passengers, Lili glimpses the kind of romance that she longs for, whether that is in the cooing and nuzzling of a younger couple as their favourite song blares on the radio or the reminiscences of an elderly gentleman about the summer he wore silk stockings to impress a girl who had a job darning them. The taxi scenes feel mobile and emotionally open and are contrasted with the still, muted tension between Lili and Dani. In the hope of igniting something, Lili attempts, more than once, to recount a doting story from a customer, only to be curtly silenced.
Lili’s isolation is emphasised by her positioning within scenes. In the car she is always in the front, separated by the seats as her passengers sit behind her, with just the rear-view mirror to potentially connect them. Lili and Dani are regularly even more divided, actively placed in opposition across a tennis net, dinner table, or kitchen counter, with only intermittent eye contact. Fortunately, ?tefan Aghi?oaie’s camera is happy to linger on H?rnu? wherever she is looking, allowing her nuanced performance to breathe in quiet moments. It paves the way for a poignant final scene in which Lili is able to reach across the precipice and offer solace and comfort in someone else’s moment of need.
Director, screenplay, producer: Carina Gabriela Da?oveanu
Cast: Ilinca H?rnu?, Andi Vasluianu
Cinematography: ?tefan Aghi?oaie
Editor: Paul Sima
Production company: UNATC I.L.CARAGIALE BUCHAREST (Romania)
Venue: Sundance Film Festival (Short Film Program)
In Romanian
21 minutes
