X on a Map

"X on a map" got me from the very first frame (including the credits). These elderly people in Grey suits stepping out of the lift reminded me very much of the bureaus pictured in "The Apartment" by Bily Wilder. Noticing moreover that this film apparently is set in earlier times got me into the right mood from the very beginning.

I don't want to give away the whole story, so I'll give only a glimpse of what happens in "X on a map". Paul and Ana work in a factory that produces maps. He draws. She folds. They get to know each other by chance. Paul is a dreamer while Ana seems more down-to-earth. He dreams of foreign places that haven't been discovered yet and soon infects her with his wanderlust.

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Naturally, 13 minutes aren't enough to provide an elaborate story with twists and turns and deep character development and such. Consequently, this film doesn't amaze me with its detailed story line but rather with its unique atmosphere. In 13 short minutes it generates poignant melancholy and profound but yet diffuse longing for distant places and eventually left me behind with the fulminating desire to go out and see the world. Not many films manage that.

Mark "X on a map" with an X on your watch list!