The Blog
Directed by Brazilian Petra Costa and co-produced by Fernando Meirelles (City of God) and Tim Robbins, ELENA is one of the must-see docs of the year.
The film tells the story of director Petra Costa searching for her long-lost sister Elena who came to New York to pursue her acting dream. Gradually, the features of the two sisters are confused; we no longer know one from the other. When Petra finally finds Elena in an unexpected place, she has to learn to let her go. ELENA is a film about the persistence of those memories, the irreversibility of that loss, and the impact the absence of her sister had on the seven-year-old girl.
I had a chance to watch it at one of the pre-screenings at Columbia University and was mesmerized by it's deeply touching intimate story and stunning visual aesthetics so if possible make sure you watch it on a big screen!
ELENA premieres tomorrow, May 30th at the IFC Center in NYC. The screening will be followed by a brief discussion with Jonathan Caouette (Director of Tarnation), Alan Berliner (Director of First Cousin Once Removed), Petra Costa (director), moderated by Sarah Salovaara (Filmmaker Magazine).
