Written by Vaishnavi Gujar
Critics have called White Snail, directed by Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter, a different kind of film that explores themes of identity, loneliness and human connection. The film has won several awards worldwide, including the Locarno International Film Festival.
Curiosity was great when the film was shown in the Pune International Film Festival on Friday as part of the World Competition section.
Several audience members agreed about the powerful and disturbing story.
Mikhail Senkov, the male lead, had a lot to answer for. Speaking in Russian, the actor said after the screening that the 115-minute film, which follows a Belarusian model who dreams of a career in China, only to be drawn into an unexpected relationship with a lonely night shift worker at a morgue, had been an emotional experience for him.
“The film is based on two different people, two different relationships: Masha and Misha. They are from two different worlds. Masha is from the modeling world, and Misha, the role I play, is an artist, so their world is totally different. But still, they are trying to connect with each other. They met in the film and had a very difficult but very interesting relationship. They are trying to get to know each other better and at the same time emerge into themselves,” Senkov said.
Apparently, he met director Kremser at a film festival. He had taken her to a morgue. Then, to his apartment where he had several paintings, including that of a woman who had tried to take her own life and survived.
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Told through an intimate and atmospheric lens, the film reveals a fragile love story between two strangers, questioning notions of beauty, mortality and belonging. “The title White Snail symbolizes the context of Masha. Her hair and skin are white. In the Russian language, we have the expression that the white snail is a person who is different from others. It’s like a metaphor,” Senkov said.
He said the most emotional part for him was when the couple was arguing, arguing by a lake. “They are very kind people and for them to argue is quite difficult. They have a very kind heart,” he said.
The actor said that the most dramatic part was the final one, when “Masha gives me white snails.” “Because it was really the moment we said goodbye to each other. But it was easy to play this part,” he said.