A film in two temporal moments. In 2013, Edouard and Suzanne Mouradian live surrounded by screens, computer games and visits by their grandchildren. In 2024, Suzanne is alone, with only an active relationship with contemporary technology, be it cat memes or bitcoin fluctuations. When she discovers an application that promises to bring Edouard back to (her) life, she doesn’t hesitate to try.
Last year at IndieLisboa we saw Maxence Stamatiadis’ short film, Shiver of Love. Now we have the chance to see his debut feature. The project’s initial idea was to direct a documentary about his grandparents, Suzanne and Edouard, but his grandfather’s death changed the plan. In the first part of the film, it is 2013 and we accompany the couple’s routine, between yoga classes, babysitting grandchildren, a lot of happiness and screens. Later, already in 2024, Edouard’s departure makes his widow turn to the app Au jour d'aujourd'hui, which promises to bring her dear husband back. With an affinity for Gabriel Abrantes’ satirical universe, Stamatiadis’ film is both a science fiction work and a comical reflection on the reality of representations and the power of artificial intelligence and deepfake technologies. The use of archival images of Edouard to show us his technological resurrection deepens the reality/copy conflict for the spectator. (Carlos Natálio)
