Theo (78) lives alone. Since his wife's death, his life has reverted to fixed routines and small actions. Due to his early dementia, he sometimes forgets his own loneliness and experiences a revival where he wants to be together, and he decides to organize a party. In the story, we see how he throws himself wholeheartedly into the party preparations. In his mind, it feels very warm and playful, like a moment of togetherness he longs to share.

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LOGLINE:
A lonely, elderly man organizes a warm, familiar, and almost childlike party, a moment of togetherness like his childhood. But as he increasingly confuses memories and reality, the viewer slowly discovers that he is actually, unconsciously, planning his own funeral.
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SYNOPSIS:
Theo (78) lives alone. Since his wife's death, his life has reverted to fixed routines and small actions. His onset of dementia sometimes makes him forget his own loneliness and gives him a moment of resurgence where he wants to be together. He decides to organize a party. In the story, we see how he throws himself wholeheartedly into the party preparations. In his mind, it has a warm, almost childlike quality, reminiscent of a childhood party. He writes invitations, makes various lists, and prepares his house. It feels very warm and playful, like a moment of togetherness he longs to share.

It gradually becomes clear that Theo no longer experiences time as a straight line; he reacts to memories and photos from the past as if they were present in the present. He loses the sequence of events; moments from years ago feel like now, and recent events slip away from him. This creates a reality in which past and present intertwine, and Theo increasingly acts from memory. The viewer sees how Theo slowly loses his grip on time.

What begins as festive preparations gradually takes on a different meaning as the story progresses. The details of the invitations, the lists, and the actions feel less and less like preparations for a party and more and more like a farewell. Not out of necessity, desperation, or because Theo consciously wants to say goodbye, but rather from a sense of anticipation, as if his memory is telling him that "something" needs to be arranged and because he hopes someone will come.

In the final scene, Theo bakes a cake. He sets it down on the table, looks up, and remembers he still needs to light the candles. He grabs the matches, lights the candles, and then looks contentedly at his work. The doorbell rings, Theo looks up happily and walks enthusiastically toward the door, disappearing from view. The camera stays behind, focused on the cake's burning candles. We hear nothing—no voices, no visitors. Only the rustle of the burning candles, softly followed by the chime of church bells.

What do we offer?
A pleasant collaboration, possible travel expenses reimbursement (in consultation), catering on the shooting days.

Type
studentenproductie

Location
Nog niet vast, rondom Noord-Brabant/Zuid-Holland



Language requirements
Dutch

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