10/05/2024 - Romanian director Isabela Tent's first feature-length documentary follows the titular character over ten years, through skewed family dynamics, online sex work and substance addiction

Alice On&Off [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the first feature-length documentary by Romania's Isabela Tent, is set to world-premiere in the International Competition at the Krakow Film Festival, which will unfold between 26 May and 2 June 2024. Cineuropa exclusively brings you the film's trailer. 

Filmed over ten years, the documentary tells the story of Alice, an unloved girl trapped in the life of a young mother. At 16, she falls in love with Dorian, 35 years her senior. Although she marries him and has their son, Aristo, the familiar echoes of her own neglected childhood resurface. Alice struggles in a family dynamic where she's the sole provider, for the child as well as for Dorian, and she resorts to live-chat sex work, leaving her own needs behind. She is forced to give up her studies at the Fine Arts University, eventually leaves her family and ends up seeing Aristo only occasionally over the years, all while battling a substance addiction. The film is an unflinching portrait of the replication of trauma across generations as Alice struggles to maintain a presence in her son's life, follow her dreams, and find herself.

Tent's ten-year process has already resulted in two short films, with Chat with Alice winning the national Gopo Award for Best Short Documentary in 2016. 

"In our quest to understand ourselves and the ingredients for a fulfilling life, Alice's story became a catalyst for my own inner exploration. Her journey powerfully exemplifies how we can navigate the legacy inherited from our parents, using it as a springboard for personal growth and paving the way for a brighter future for younger generations," says the director. 

The film was produced by Irina Malcea-Cândea of Bucharest-based outfit Luna Film, whose recent credits include Elena Rebeca Carini’s The Land You Belong, Botond Pusok’s Too Close [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], as well as Bosnian director Ines Tanović’s The Son [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ines Tanović
film profile].

Alice On&Off was supported by the Romanian Film Centre, Cinema City, Avanpost Media, in collaboration with Romanian Public Television (TVR).

Check the exclusive trailer below: