The Netherlands, Ireland

Synopsis

A young female rebel and an old sage challenge each other in a story about personal freedom and attachment. She is a young Dutch woman, who after throwing away all her possessions becomes a vagabond by choice and finds the solitude she was looking for in an austere landscape of Irish Connemara. He is an old man who lives a solitary life in a secluded house in Ireland. She is radical and uncompromising. He is wise and ironic. What connects them is solitude they both see as freedom. He proposes her to work for him in exchange of food. She agrees but on one condition: there will be no personal contact between them, just work. Soon the two of them become curious about each other and want both: to keep their 'nothing personal' deal and to break it. He knows that breaking the deal and becoming personal may result in her leaving the house. For her, showing any interest in him will equal compromising her radical freedom, which she defines as staying alone and refusing contact with people. Their simple life follows the cycle of days and nights, work and rest but slowly brings the two of them closer to each other. Who will be the first one to break the deal and admit the personal interest?

Director's Statement

When our contemporary world is busy with issues of unification and integration, the two characters presented in ‘Nothing Personal’ choose a solitude which they see as personal freedom and comfort. But if longing for solitude is truly human, so is the need for human contact? How does an intimacy between two people develop? What are the consecutive stages of the coming together of two people? ‘Nothing Personal’ is a cinematic experience asking and answering these questions.
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Cast & Crew

Directed by: Urszula Antoniak

Written by: Urszula Antoniak

Produced by: Edwin van Meurs, Edwin van Meurs, Reinier Selen

Cinematography: Daniël Bouquet

Editing: Nathalie Alonso Casale

Production Design: Jane English

Cast: Stephen Rea, Lotte Verbeek

Nominations and Awards

  • European Discovery - Prix Fipresci 2010
  • European Actress 2010
  • Feature Film Selection 2010