Constantin si Elena

In a Romanian village, an elderly couple has been happily married for almost 55 years. Constantin and Elena know that life must end, but are happy with everything that they've had. They fill their days with chores in and around the house, going to church and receiving welcome visitors, not to mention a catnap every now and then. Everything that these two old lovebirds do, they do slowly: from helping each other get dressed and climb ladders to weaving beautiful tapestries. Often they sing old Romanian songs at the top of their voices, or Constantin's old battle songs from his army days. Constantin and Elena aren't afraid of death, and discuss it in a practical way. They're proud of what they're leaving behind and happy with their love. But they do think it's unfortunate that they have so little time left together. As Constantin puts it, "With one eye I cry, with the other, I laugh." Director Andrei Dascalescu spent a year following this loving couple. His camera films each scene from a different position. It never pans or zooms in, and there's no voice-over or interviews. This love story tells itself in images, and the filmmaker, also the couple's grandson, keeps himself invisible. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)