Romeo Eleven

Colour, 35 mm
Canada, 2011, 89 min
WP – World premiere
Section: Official Selection - Competition

Synopsis

Things aren’t easy for a dark-skinned young man living in the French-speaking part of Canada. He was born into a family of Arab Christian immigrants and he also had to undergo an operation on his legs in early childhood. For the protagonist, his parents and everyone else, his conspicuous physical disability is regarded as a stigma. So the young lad creates an alternative identity on the internet, where he passes himself off as an attractive businessman with a flashy career ahead of him. Will he be able to conquer his physical handicap and confront the inevitable social exclusion associated with it? This intimate portrait of a young man coming to terms with his physical affliction and challenging position in society is a delicately handled debut, whose impact lies primarily in the authentic performance of the lead actor and in the subtle way in which the film works on the viewer’s emotions.

About the director

Ivan Grbovic (b. 1979) studied fine art at Concordia University in Montreal and cinematography at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. He worked on several short films as cinematographer, including the award-winning film Fine (2001) by director Michael Downing. In 2006 he wrote and directed his debut short La tête haute, following this up with the short films Les mots (2008) and La chute (2008). Romeo Eleven is his feature film debut.