Esperanza

A tragicomedy in the tradition of Kusturica, Kaurismäki and Jeunet, told with wry humour and accompanied by music and dance. The story begins at five o'clock on New Year's Eve. The last ferry has just left Rostock for Copen­hagen, leaving a little group of late passengers stranded at the pier. They all have their own reasons for being somewhere before midnight. The chef of a rusty old pleasure boat unexpectedly offers them a passage to Denmark and the stragglers have no choice but to risk the crossing in this tub. The small crew does its best to entertain the voyagers with a tireless succession of dance numbers and fine things to eat, but it soon becomes apparent that the situation on board the "Esperanza" is somewhat alarming. The vessel's captain is hopelessly lost in pea-soup-thick fog, the electricity cuts out and, finally, the motor comes to a standstill. The old steamer is now bobbing up and down helplessly, on a sea as smooth as glass, illuminated by nothing but candles... (Berlinale)