A thrilling moralist tale of a Romanian stowaway and Filipino catholic clash across the Atlantic on a cargo ship, in the deeply reserved, yet impactful debut fiction feature film, To The North.
Debuting his fiction feature film at the 2022 Biennale Orizzonti section, Mihai Mincan, who has only directed documentaries and short film, presents a multilingual moralist tale between Romania, Philippines, and Taiwanese characters in To The North. Set in 1996, two friends, Dimitru from Romania and his Bulgarian friend flee their native countries for the “American Dream” where Dimitru dreams of landing in New York. Their plan: to board the cargo ship and sail across the transatlantic from Spain to America. With only a backpack to their name, they sneak their way onto the ship and head west. Exquisitely shot, from long shots depicting vast surroundings of the sea to the maze of containers on the cargo ship, the two’s plan goes well until their naivety become their downfall.
The two’s plan to reveal themselves to the ship’s crew one by one to minimize the pair’s risk, where the Bulgarian goes first and meets Joel, the head Filipino sailor, who’s disappointed look in one of the best acted performances of the film (facial features expressing defeat or hope). The Bulgarian approaches him out of the blue in a kindly matter, but Joel is forced to bring him to the stern Taiwanese captain, who’s strict nature leads to the disappearance of the Bulgarian. The story lays the groundwork between the meeting of Joel and Dimitru, the religious sailor (savior) of the migrant who needs a helping hand.
One of the more interesting and driving forces in the performances are the multiple languages spoken putting an emphasis on the expression in faces and bodily movement at the forefront instead of dialogue as a form of communication and empathy. The performances are subtly elevated because understanding the emotion and context becomes more powerful, when language is not the common ground for understanding each other. This tool Mihai enforces in the single setting location, adds another layer of performative interactions between each varying character.
Mihai’s exceptional story dives into the complex nature of good and evil with greyness all around. The plot is taken over by Joel’s plan of rescuing/saving Dimitru from the captain with many obstacles of betrayal and intimidation from the ship’s crew. He bands together his other Filipino sailors with a plan to hide, feed, and for the eventual release of Dimitru as Joel cannot do it all on his own. The circumstances get dire as each person’s own individual outcome interferes with the plan. Debates and quarrels of what kind of person are they saving is brought up leaving the question if one stranger is worth all their jobs/lives. The tension boils as the captain, enters the picture, making perfectly fair arguments of why it is and not worth it, while Joel, the religious man, finds the good in saving him. Mihai’s uncomfortable and elaborate schematics of Dimitru and Joel’s climatic conclusion alone, brings up an intricate study on fear and power when one has everything and nothing to lose with no clear answer.
