We tried to find a word to sum up and at the same time describe this short film... but it wasn’t easy. After a long period of time of thinking, rethinking, and re-watching this short we came with the perfect word combination: “beautifully weird”. ‘The Crossing’ starts like any other movie: a couple sits in bed watching TV. The conversation builds up, they argue at some point, nothing special, but then, out of nowhere, something happens and that’s the moment when the “weird” factor takes over the scene.

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With ‘The Crossing’, Jaak Erasmus pleasantly surprised us; before watching this short we read the logline and, to be completely honest, things weren’t totally clear. The logline announces a film that might seem a little bit too commercial and simple, but we were blown away to see that ‘The Crossing’ turned out to be one of the most complex and intelligent films we’ve had in this festival in the past couple of seasons. Hats off to Jaak Erasmus for playing the leading role, Karel, and creating one of the most bizarre, and at the same time, riveting characters. In the story, Karel’s life isn’t presented at all, and there are very few descriptive parts regarding the main character, yet when the movie ends it feels like Karel is an important part of your life, and you knew him all along.

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The plot is based on a multitude of interconnected worlds that are switching in front of our eyes. At one point the narrative takes place in the desert, and in the blink of an eye, everything moves in the intimacy of a bedroom. This narrative scheme is a goldmine here, bringing the surprise factor for the viewer, and potentiating the lucky, crazy, spectacular, impeccable “beautifully weird” side of this short. Jaak Erasmus convinced us that his cinematic vision transcends the script, and that for him, the sky is indeed the limit!

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Written by Vlad A. G