IFFO 2025: Gondola

After the death of her father, Iva takes a job as a cable car operator in the mountains of Georgia. She lacks enthusiasm for the role until her car passes by the other car and its operator, Nino. The two young women begin a chaste romance, communicating only in their brief passes, with their passengers or cargo along for the ride. The dialogue-free film feels as light and as warm as a flirtatious smile–as oft exchanged between the two women.

The romantic delight of Amélie (2001, Jean-Pierre Jeunet) comes to mind as the lovers’ antics on their cars escape reality into the fantastical, never losing its charm or connection to the humble people and places they travel between every day. Though their romance remains heart-warming, their world has more to it than their open-air trysts. Their jealous boss, having his eyes on Nino for himself, tries to sabotage their communications. And when the women finally get together away from the gondola, Nino finds it impossible to hide her plans to become a flight attendant and fly far away.

Known for other dialogue-sparse films such as Tuvalu (1999), director Veit Helmer delivers a film charming and fanciful until the end. Gondola will have audiences floating out of the cinema, delighted and believing in love. – Tish Black via IFFO.