How does war change love? And how does the transition from peace to warfare, in parallel with a gender transition, affect a queer couple? I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming, world-premiering on Friday, Aug. 7, in the international competition program of the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival, gives audiences a chance to explore those questions, while telling a deeply personal story that unfolds amid Russia’s war against Ukraine.The love between Olya and Oleh, a young queer Ukrainian couple, is put to the test when one of the partners’ gender transition collides with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The transition allows the couple to get married, but personal and national identity struggles stir debate. “As war narrows and challenges the boundaries of masculinity and femininity, they struggle to preserve their bond and sense of self,” the Locarno website preview notes. And it hints at one question that takes center stage: “What does it mean to be a man in a country that is fighting for its identity and survival?”
Starring Tania Myronyshena and Markus Bright, the film is produced by Uwe Schott and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run, The Light) of X Filme Creative Pool. The cinematographer is Volodymyr Usyk, while Paul Groebel and Laura Lauzemis are the editors. Outplay Films is handling international sales. Screenwriter Anna Melikova and director Isabelle Stever (The Weather Inside, Portrait of a Married Couple), who are married and live in Germany, collaborated on the film.
