original title:
Les Enfants de Cain
italian title:
I figli di Caino
directed by:
cinematography:
editing:
Paola Freddi, Camille Lotteau, Mattia Levi
music:
Nicholas Mollard
production:
Margo Cinema, Anima Pictures, Young Films, Rai Cinema, supported by Ministero della Cultura, QKK, CNC
country:
France/Albania/Italy
year:
2021
film run:
69'
format:
colour
status:
Ready (28/07/2021)
festivals & awards:
The Sons of Cain is set in a small village in northern Albania. In this place time is suspended and the severe rules of an old code (Kanun) still dictate the life and death of the inhabitants. A group of seven children obliged to live under this code meet and discuss the story of Cain and Abel. Creating their own dream space, partially consciously and partially not, they create an analogy between their own stories and Bible stories. Stuck on the fine line between reality and forgetfulness, this is one of the few chances they have to come to grips with their traumas and emotions.
DIRECTOR'S NOTES:
The Sons of Cain is an intentionally non-narrative film based on the pre-grammatical structure of the dream. It brings a different angle to an old Albanian social issue. It treats a serious theme from the prospective of women and children, by using their dreams as the main language of communication and building a nostalgic dreamy mood in terms of a visual message. By treating the characters not as victims but as creative human beings The Sons of Cain opens a window onto rarely shown aspects of people's emotional journeys.