25 Grad im Winter (25 Degrees in Winter, 25 Degrés en Hiver)
Belgium/France/Russia/Spain 2004

Opening 20 Jan 2005

Directed by: Stéphane Vuillet
Writing credits: Stéphane Malandrin, Pedro Romero, Stéphane Vuillet
Principal actors: Carmen Maura, Jacques Gamblin, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Raphaëlle Molinier, Pedro Romero

Twenty-five degrees Celsius is hot for a winter’s day in Belgium, and unusual things happen to Spanish immigrant Miguel and his small daughter Laura. He is a courier for his brother’s travel agency. He is lucky to live in an era of mobile phones, because every time his brother calls for a progress report, he is certainly just delivering the tickets to the customer. Or not. Actually, he picks up a Ukrainian woman named Sonia who has fled from the airport immigrant holding center. By chance he meets his mother (Carmen Maura) who reports that daughter Laura is in the hospital. Soon all four are seeking Sonia’s husband, whom she planned to meet. There are episodes in an apartment, a senior citizens’ home, the travel office, and on the beach. Sonia finds her unfaithful husband living with a Belgian woman. As a parallel, homesick Laura dreams that her mother in the U.S. will send for them. It was fun to see Carmen Maura again, that actress well-known from Almodovar films. At the 2004 Berlinale, director Stéphane Vuillet said he always wanted to film in his familiar Belgian neighborhood. He considers Spain his real country, which explains the flamenco sound-track. Although the film is quick and light-hearted, the topic of displaced persons is serious. (Becky Tan)