Blue Moon, a film by Alina Grigore
“Blue moon” follows a girl's psychological journey to her dehumanizing process. While struggling to achieve higher education Irina metamorphoses from the victim into the abuser as a result of subtle violent contexts. Irina is struggling to escape the violence of her extended dysfunctional family, while trying to achieve higher education in Bucharest, far away from her mountain village. During a party, Irina has an ambiguous sexual experience with an artist. She wakes up deflowered, having vague images of a man's hands. She confronts her uncertain "abuser" but chooses to begin an exclusively sexual relationship with him. This experience seems to give her strength because this is where she starts to fight the violent approach of the males in her family and becomes determined to run to Bucharest. Using solely her astute brain and her feminine instincts Irina drives all the aggressors in her life into the depth of a subdued psychological game. Step by step she metamorphoses from the victim into the abuser as a result of multiple subtle violent contexts. Blue Moon is a psychological drama that involves family, sex and a little bit of blood.
Romanian debut feature ‘Blue Moon’ wins Golden Shell in San Sebastian! The winning Romanian production is a drama about a dysfunctional family living in a rural mountain region, a toxic environment that the film’s young heroine, played by Iona Chitu, is desperately trying to escape. Grigore’s San Sebastian triumph adds a significant new voice to the vibrant Romanian cinema scene.
ELISABET CABEZA
"The film, a raw realist study of a young woman attempting to free herself from an abusive rural household, was an unexpected winner, besting a number of higher-profile auteur films in the festival’s main competition."
Guy Lodge
Blue Moon
in Romania
Special events
13Screens
250Movie theaters
28A short look at our screenings and events
CAST : Ioana Chitu, Ionut Achivoaie, Alex Aninosanu, Vlad Ivanov, Maria Ciobanu,Ionut Ciotir, Gabriel Cojocaru, Madalina Draganescu, Ioana Flora, Andrei Eftene, Emil Mandanac, Elena Filip, Ion Arcudeanu, Alex Gavriliu
FESTIVALS AND AWARDS:
2021 San Sebastian IFF, Spain, Winner, Golden Seashell Best FilmAlina Grigore
2021 Haifa IFF, Israel, Nominee, Golden Anchor Award, Best Debut Film, Alina Grigore
2021 Viennale IFF, Austria
2021 Sao Paulo, Brazil
2021 Festival de Cine por mujeres Madrid, Spain
2021 IFF Mannheim Heidelberg, Germany
2021 Cork IFF, Ireland , The Spirit of the Festival Award
2021 Thessaloniki IFF, Greece
2021 Sevilla EFF, Spain
2021 Cairo IFF, Egypt
2021 Rumänisches FF, Germany (München)
2021 IFF of Uruguay, Uruguay
2022 Muestra de cine con nome de mujer, Spain
2022 Belgrade IFF, Serbia
2022 Glasgow FF, UK
2022 Sofia IFF, Bulgaria, Winner, Special Jury Award, Balkan Competition, Alina Grigore
2022 European films day and night in Panevėžys, Lithuania
2022 IFF of Mons, Belgium
2022 Muestra de Cine Realizado por Mujeres, Spain
2022 L’ Europe Autour de l’ Europe, France
2022 Bergamo Film Meetings, Italy, Best Director, Alina Grigore
2022 Intl Frauen Film Festival, Germany
2022 Kinest Fest, Italy
2022 Istanbul FF, Turkey
2022 SeeFest LA, USA
2022 Flying Broom Intl Women FF, Turkey
2022 Romanian FF Washington DC, USA
2022 Sydney IFF, Australia
2022 Transilvania IFF, Cluj, Romania