Filmmaker Statement

With 'Stranded,' I wanted to create my most personal film to date, portraying a breakup through a nuanced and tragicomic lens, where, with empathy and curiosity, I would explore toxic dynamics between two ex-partners in an extremely claustrophobic and pressured situation. The film is heavily inspired by my own personal experiences during the pandemic. My intention was to fictionalize myself and my ex-partner in a nuanced way, where there are no clear heroes or villains, but rather flawed and hopefully relatable characters who, under great pressure, behave unhealthily towards each other. I wanted to bring out both the positive and negative sides of both characters. I wanted to depict a main character who suffers from self-loathing, which seriously flares up during the breakup. Last but not least, I aimed to create a captivating and poetic cinematic experience, where, along with the characters, we become stranded in a warm, sweaty, tropical hotel room.