Written and directed by Tomas Gold, when Edin runs, he feels euphoria, imagination and disconnection, but begins to contemplate whether those feelings have extended beyond his grasp after he discovers something mysterious on a morning run to the hilltops. Starring: Alessio Tornese and Eliora Bénarroche.

This film starts off on an unusual note, moving from creating an atmospheric tone, to a very mundane moment of cooking, to Edin (Tornese) running, cut together to include different locations and a purposely vague timeline, but it genuinely works to create an intriguing air of mystery. It’s a tone that’s consistent throughout, while its story does move forward, there’s an inherent atmospheric ambiguity, leaving you unsure where you stand. It’s a choice that’s perpetuated by a feeling of reflectiveness and an almost spiritual tone, playing off the idea of how running is a form of escapism where you can just disappear into a world of your own and let your mind roam free while your feet do the work.

That opening has a very smoothly flowing pace to it which is slightly interrupted when the more dialogue focused portion of the story appears, the two are in contrast with one another and it isn’t a seamless transition. However, the change does add another element through its unanswered questions, causing you to question the reality its posing and how much of it is actually happening. Unfortunately, there are a few too many unanswered questions for it to work successfully, it does create a solid, intriguing atmosphere but it almost feels as though it could have served as a silent film to really dive into that rather than sullying it with simple style dialogue. It’s something that stands out more with Tornese’s performance being slightly wooden at times, the general tone is there but his portrayal doesn’t feel natural; while Eliora Bénarroche feels very relaxed and eases into the performance well.

Regardless, Gold sincerely shows a lot of potential with this film, his direction is sentimental, reflective and pensive, and it holds a surprising amount of emotion. Adam Sandy’s cinematography pushes that further enhancing a lot of its roaming shots, taking in the full opportunities that the location choices provided. Choosing to place a great piece of classical style music over the top of its more thoughtful scenes adds even more, you’d imagine it would be a jarring combination but it adds a sense of drama which rounds out the viewing experience.

Sérendipité de Deux shows a great deal of potential from filmmaker Tomas Gold, especially in his use of varied, well-chosen shots that say a great deal without needing to actually say anything. They’re also very well-edited, with some solid cinematography but the story feels a little too simple, there’s too much left up for debate and it asks its viewers to fill a lot of gaps, needing a touch stronger direction in what it was trying to say.

Verdict: ✯✯✯ |6/10

You can check out the film, as well as Gold’s other work here